Syrian President's Last Flight? Plane ‘Shot Down’? Mysterious Descent Sparks Fears of Assad’s Death

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Amid rising speculation about the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, reports suggest that a plane he may have been aboard has either crashed or been shot down during an attempt to escape from Damascus. Open-source flight data from Flightradar24 reveals that a Syrian Air flight, believed to be carrying Assad, took off from Damascus airport around the time rebel forces seized control of the capital. However, the plane vanished from radar mid-flight.

The aircraft, an Ilyushin Il-76T, was initially headed toward Syria’s coastal region, a stronghold of Assad’s regime. But it unexpectedly reversed course and flew in the opposite direction before disappearing near Homs. Flight data shows a sharp descent from 3,650 meters to just 1,070 meters before the plane lost signal, prompting speculation that it may have been targeted as it entered rebel-held territory. The change in flight path and sudden drop in altitude have led many to believe the plane was either shot down or suffered a mechanical failure. While Flightradar24 acknowledged potential discrepancies in the data, such as the aircraft’s older transponder and possible GPS jamming in the area, it stated that the data still provides a "quite good indication" of the plane's trajectory. Although the identities of those aboard have not been confirmed, sources within Syria have indicated a "very high probability" that Assad was on the plane and may have perished in the incident. One source speculated, "It disappeared off the radar, possibly the transponder was switched off, but the larger possibility is that the aircraft was shot down."

Egyptian journalist Khaled Mahmoud, who shared flight radar data, claimed that the plane’s rapid loss of altitude suggested it was shot down. "The 3D flight radar data indicates that the Syrian Air IL-76 crashed. The plane’s altitude dropped suddenly, and it appears to have been shot down," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Some believe the aircraft was headed to Russia's Latakia airbase, a key safe haven for Assad, controlled by Russian forces. The base is one of the few remaining strongholds not yet overtaken by rebel forces. While no official confirmation has been made regarding Assad's status, the sudden disappearance of the plane has intensified speculation about his fate. The Syrian government collapsed on Sunday as rebels swiftly captured Damascus, marking the end of five decades of Assad family rule. Celebrations erupted across the city, signaling the regime’s fall. Shortly after the rebel victory, Syrian state television aired a video from a rebel group claiming that Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown. This came shortly after a war monitor reported that the Syrian leader had fled on a plane to an unknown destination.