Assad's Regime Secretly Evacuates Wealth Ahead of Collapse

As opposition forces advanced on Damascus in December 2024, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad orchestrated a covert operation to smuggle cash, sensitive documents, and members of his inner circle out of Syria. The operation, coordinated by top economic adviser Yasar Ibrahim, involved leasing a Gambian-registered Embraer Legacy 600 jet that made four secret flights to the United Arab Emirates over 48 hours. These flights transported at least $500,000 in unmarked cash per trip, encrypted hard drives, confidential documents mapping Assad's financial network, and key regime figures. Security for the operation was ensured by the elite Republican Guard and Air Force Intelligence, with the airport's VIP sections sealed off to facilitate the escape. The scheme aimed to preserve Assad’s substantial economic web and personal safety as his regime collapsed, and was supported by internal loyalists and possibly external actors in the region. Assad himself later fled to Russia from a military air base, marking the end of his 24-year rule.