Syria's President Bashar al-Assad addresses the new members of parliament in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on August 12, 2020.
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Assad says he didn’t plan to flee Syria, in apparent first public statement

A statement posted to social media in Moscow appears to detail the events leading to former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s decision to flee the country for Russia. CNN’s Frederick Pleitgen breaks it down.

02:40 - Source: CNN
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Syria's President Bashar al-Assad addresses the new members of parliament in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on August 12, 2020.
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Assad says he didn’t plan to flee Syria, in apparent first public statement
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