A recent article in the Atlantic by Robert Worth explores the downfall of Bashar al-Assad, framing it not just as a military defeat but as a narrative of a fragmented regime led by a ruler who ultimately betrayed his closest allies. Worth reveals that in the final days leading up to Assad's flight from Damascus on December 7, 2024, Assad engaged in behaviors that shocked even his loyal aides, indicating a loyalty system that crumbled in times of peril.

As opposition forces encroached upon the capital, Assad resorted to deception rather than confrontation. He reassured his aides and senior military officials that victory was near and that regional communications would lead to an end of the assault. Meanwhile, official statements claimed that Assad remained at the presidential palace fulfilling his constitutional duties, while he was actually preparing to clandestinely escape on a Russian plane.

The false reassurances led many of his aides to trust the official narrative and remain in their posts, only to find out hours later that their leader had fled. This betrayal underscores the fragility of Assad's regime and the depths of his disconnection from those who once supported him, illustrating a dramatic shift in the political dynamics within Syria as the tide began to turn against him.