Did Bashar al-Assad’s plane crash? Social media says ‘lost 6700 meters altitude in seconds’

Syria civil war: An active search is underway for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with rebel forces questioning Syrian military officers and intelligence officials who may have knowledge of his whereabouts. 

As part of their pursuit, open-source flight trackers revealed that the last plane to leave Damascus was an Illyushin-76 aircraft, flight number Syrian Air 9218. This aircraft was likely to be carrying Al-Assad. 

Catch LIVE Updates on Syria Civil War

The plane took off shortly before opposition fighters seized control of the airport. It initially flew east, then veered north, but its signal disappeared shortly afterward, just as it circled over Homs.

Rebels declared Damascus “free” on Sunday, claiming that Assad had fled the capital. Since opposition fighters entered the city, Assad has not been seen or heard from publicly.

Rebel forces are now focusing on locating Assad, with the mystery surrounding his flight fueling speculation about his escape from Syria. 

Meanwhile, social emdia has been abuzz with several theories mostly indicating that Assad’s planer has crashed. 

Assad Plane crashed? Netizens say…

“Sudden Disappearance and Altitude Change Suggests It Was Shot Down!! Unconfirmed information is being circulated about the sudden descent of the plane that was reportedly carrying Assad after it disappeared from radar and dropped suddenly from an altitude of over 3,650 meters to 1,070 meters in a few minutes, just outside Lebanese airspace north of Akkar. 3D flight radar data of the plane suspected of carrying Bashar al-Assad indicates that it crashed. The Syrian Air IL-76 aircraft’s altitude dropped suddenly, and it seems it was shot down.”. 

“Very irregular flight path on this Syrian jet that left Damascus airport around the time it fell to rebels”, pointed another. 

“It appears Assad’s plane crashed / blew-up…. It lost 6700 meters in less than seconds.” wrote another netizen. 

Some unverified videos were also shared that showed a plane that has crashed, caught on fire. However, Mint could not independently verify if it was the plane carrying Al-Assad. 

“PLANE CRASH OF #Bashar_al_Assad NEAR #Homs ! IT DEPARTED #DAMASCUS AIRPORT, TOOK A TURN AND REACHED AN ALTITUDE OF 500 METERS! THEN CRASHED! #Syrie #Syrian”

Syrian rebels claim to have captured the capital of Damascus, announcing the fall of the al-Assad regime, according to reports by Reuters and Al Jazeera.

“The tyrant Bashar al-Assad has fled,” the armed opposition said in a statement. “We declare Damascus free of the tyrant Bashar al-Assad.”

Syrian state TV has aired a video saying President Bashar al-Assad has been overthrown and all jail detainees freed.

In their first televised announcement since their rapid and surprise offensive, the rebels called on all opposition fighters and citizens to preserve state institutions of “the free Syrian state”.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that President Bashar al-Assad may have fled Syria, with some reports suggesting he flew to Russia following major territorial losses to a swift rebel offensive. However, these claims have not been independently verified by AFP, adding to the uncertainty surrounding Assad’s whereabouts as his regime faces its most significant challenge in years. There are also conflicting reports indicating that Assad may have traveled to Jordan.