Biden launches strikes against ISIS in Syria after al-Assad flees to Moscow

The deposed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad arrived in Moscow on Saturday after rebel forces took control of Damascus, the capital. As reported by the Tass news agency, the Russian government granted Assad and his family asylum.

"President Assad of Syria has arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them (him and his family) asylum on humanitarian grounds," a Kremlin source confirmed.

Assad's move to Russia ends days of speculation about his fate, with Iran and Russia figuring as the most likely options due to their historic political and strategic ties.

The Russian government, led by Vladimir Putin, has been a staunch ally of Assad since the beginning of the conflict, providing military and diplomatic support to keep him in power. Now, Moscow becomes the refuge of the Syrian dictator and his family.

The context of the flight

This flight took place in the midst of an offensive led by jihadist rebels, who, after years of conflict, managed to overthrow a regime that had been in power for more than five decades. This event marks a high point in the devastating civil war that has gripped Syria for nearly 14 years.

The fall of Damascus was the finale of a conflict that also led to the emergence of the Islamic State and the intervention of various international actors, including the United States, Turkey, Iran and Russia.

U.S. beefs up its military presence in Syria following the fall of Assad

U.S. President Joe Biden shared a message on his social networks expressing both his support for the overthrow of Assad and his concerns about the future of Syria. "At long last, the Assad regime has fallen. The fall of this regime is a fundamental act of justice. It is a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their country. It is also a moment of risk and uncertainty," he wrote.

In this context, Biden also reported that he launched airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria this Sunday, just hours after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. He explained that "U.S. forces conducted dozens of precision strikes, airstrikes within Syria targeting ISIS camps and ISIS honorables," inside Syrian territory.

The U.S. president warned that ISIS will attempt to take advantage of the power vacuum left by Assad's collapse. "We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of the vacuum," the president said. "We will not let that happen," he added.