As rebels gained in the days before Bashar al-Assad's flight from Syria, his appeal for help from Moscow was rebuffed but the veteran autocrat held off seeking Iranian military support to avoid triggering Israeli retaliation, Reuters reported.
In the days leading up to his downfall Assad sought military aid from Russia, whose intervention in Syria's civil war in 2015 swung the conflict in his favor.
On November 28, Assad traveled to Moscow to plead for military intervention following a rapid advance by Syrian rebel forces, including the capture of Aleppo by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamists.
However his request was dismissed by the Kremlin, with Russia unwilling to engage further militarily, according to three regional diplomats cited by Reuters.
Despite the rejection, Assad reportedly misled his commanders, alleging that military support from Moscow was imminent. Hadi al-Bahra, head of Syria’s opposition abroad, cited sources within Assad’s inner circle confirming Moscow had rejected the request.
The Kremlin has since said that its priority is now the conflict in Ukraine, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov emphasizing Russia’s earlier efforts to stabilize Syria.
Four days after Assad's Moscow visit, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Assad in Damascus.
By then, Assad’s forces were in disarray, and he admitted to Iranian officials that his army was too weak to resist the rebels. However, Assad refrained from requesting direct Iranian military deployment to avoid provoking Israeli retaliation against Iranian forces or even Iran itself, according to senior Iranian officials cited by Reuters.
The ouster of President Bashar al-Assad, whose family had ruled Syria for over five decades, dealt a significant blow to Iran, depriving Tehran of one of its oldest and most reliable allies. Damascus was a critical link in Iran's so-called "Shi'ite Crescent," which extended its influence through Iraq and Syria to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah.
Meanwhile, the aftermath of Assad's fall has sparked rare criticism of the Iran's Revolutionary Guards and its Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani.
Ultra-hardliners have vented frustrations in online forums like Telegram and Eitaa, questioning why flights and supply routes to Damascus were halted and why the Qods Force failed to act decisively.
Iranian politicians and media are now grappling with the implications of Assad's fall on Tehran’s future ties with Damascus. The government is also under pressure to justify Syria's significant financial and military investments since 2011.