SOHR: Assad Survives Poisoning Attempt in Russia as Damascus Military Delegation Lands in Moscow

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), revealed on Wednesday, that the ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad narrowly survived an assassination attempt by poisoning while in Russia. The Observatory announced on its official account on the social media platform X that Assad had been targeted with poison in an operation allegedly designed to embarrass the Russian government and implicate it in his attempted elimination.

According to the Observatory’s report, Assad was discharged from a hospital in the outskirts of Moscow early on Tuesday, September 30, and his condition was described as currently stable. A source told the Observatory that access to Assad during his hospitalization was strictly restricted, with only his brother Maher al-Assad and the former Secretary-General of Presidential Affairs, Mansour Azzam, permitted to visit him.

This dramatic development comes less than a year after Assad was overthrown on December 8, 2024, in a lightning offensive led by opposition groups spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which ended 54 years of Assad family rule in Syria.

Only a day after reports of Assad’s survival emerged, on Thursday, an official Syrian Ministry of Defense delegation, headed by Ali Abbas, Chief of Staff of the Syrian Army, arrived in Moscow. The delegation was received by Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the Russian Deputy Defense Minister.

In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared that the purpose of the visit was to enhance the mechanisms of military cooperation and coordination between the two states. The ministry stressed that the talks were aimed at strengthening defense ties in light of recent political transformations in Syria and the collapse of the Assad regime.

Observers said the move was part of broader efforts to re-establish a framework for defense partnership between Damascus and Moscow, ensuring that Russia’s presence in Syrian military bases and its ongoing role in regional security arrangements remain central. Analysts described the visit as an attempt to formalize new plans for military cooperation, expand joint operational coordination, and revive established military frameworks in a way that corresponds with the new political reality in Syria.

This is not the first such high-level exchange in recent months. At the end of July 2025, a senior Syrian delegation led by Foreign Minister Asaad Shibani and Defense Minister Marhaf Abu Qasra traveled to Russia, where they held extensive talks with Russian officials and commanders.

The developments occur against the backdrop of striking revelations made weeks earlier by Ahmed Sharaa, Syria’s transitional president, in a wide-ranging interview with Syrian state television channel Al-Ikhbariyah. For the first time, Sharaa publicly acknowledged Russia’s role in the fall of Bashar al-Assad, shedding light on Moscow’s shifting posture during decisive battles.

Al-Sharaa emphasized that from the beginning of the transitional phase, Syria’s policy was anchored in protecting citizens and ensuring livelihoods. He highlighted judicial reform, educational development, and human resource investment as the backbone of the emerging Syrian economy, noting that “the greatest capital for the economy lies in human capacity.”

He further explained that establishing a balanced economic environment required careful regulation of multiple files simultaneously, with reconstruction being far more complex than a simple slogan. “We start with what is available, and despite the challenges, what is available is not little,” Sharaa said, stressing that Syria must avoid dependence on politicized aid or loans and instead open its doors to investment. He underlined the importance of blending regional experiences with Syria’s own resources, fostering projects that create jobs and restore infrastructure, while expanding export markets for Syria’s growing production.

On international ties, Sharaa drew a sharp distinction between relations with Iran and Russia after Assad’s fall. He stated that the collapse of the regime forced Iranian influence out of Syria, cooling bilateral relations. “We do not say there will be permanent estrangement with Iran, but certain factions still see the loss of Syria as the collapse of their regional axis,” he said. By contrast, Sharaa underscored the importance of managing Syria’s inherited ties with Russia carefully, with a view to stability and sovereignty. “If we remain prisoners of the past, we cannot move forward. Our relations with Moscow must be handled with composure, respecting sovereignty and prioritizing Syrian interests.”

He recalled that during the battles for Hama and Homs, Russia withdrew from the military scene under a negotiated arrangement with the opposition, signaling a crucial turning point in Assad’s downfall. “They gave commitments, we gave commitments, and both sides fulfilled them,” Sharaa said, confirming Moscow’s decisive role in the regime’s collapse.

Sharaa also broke ground on the sensitive question of relations with Israel. He remarked that certain Israeli policies suggested regret over Assad’s fall, since Tel Aviv had long sought to preserve Syria as a perpetual arena of conflict with regional powers, particularly Iran. According to Sharaa, Israel harbored ambitions to partition Syria, turning it into a battleground for its own rivalries.

Now, however, Syria is engaged in negotiations over a new security arrangement with Israel. Sharaa noted that Damascus has consistently upheld its commitment to the 1974 disengagement agreement despite regime change, while Israel had considered Assad’s collapse as Syria’s withdrawal from that accord.

“Israel was surprised by the fall of the regime, because they were accustomed to exploiting Syria’s entanglements,” Sharaa explained. “Today we are in negotiations, and the important principle remains Syrian sovereignty and the independence of our decisions.”

The juxtaposition of Bashar al-Assad’s reported poisoning in Moscow and the Syrian Ministry of Defense delegation’s official visit to Russia underscores the fragile and shifting dynamics defining Damascus’s foreign and security posture. For the transitional government under Ahmed al-Sharaa, reconstruction and balanced economic recovery remain paramount, while recalibrated relations with Moscow and cautious negotiations with Israel form the backbone of Syria’s new diplomatic strategy.

The attempt on Assad’s life highlights lingering volatility around the ousted leader, while the military delegation’s reception in Moscow signals a clear continuity in defense ties. Together, these events reflect both the turbulence of Syria’s past and the precarious process of charting its future.