Russia has confirmed Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family, after being granted asylum on humanitarian grounds.

A Kremlin source told Russian news agencies that a deal had also been done to ensure the safety of Russian military bases in the war-torn Middle Eastern country.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said earlier that Assad had left Syria and given orders for a peaceful transfer of power, after rebel fighters raced into Damascus unopposed on Sunday (local time), ending nearly six decades of his family’s iron-fisted rule.

“Syrian President Assad of Syria and members of his family have arrived in Moscow. Russia has granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds,” the privately-owned Interfax news agency and state media quoted the unnamed Kremlin source as saying.

Interfax cited the same Kremlin source as saying Russia favoured a political solution to the crisis in Syria.

“Russia has always spoken in favor of a political settlement of the Syrian crisis,” they said.

“We insist that the UN-mediated talks be resumed.”

The fall of the Assad regime must be the end of a horrific period for Syrians marred by conflict, oppression, division and displacement.

At this time of uncertainty, we call on all parties to protect civilians, refrain from violence and prioritise dialogue.

— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) December 9, 2024

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that the fall of the Assad regime was an act of justice that is allowing Syrians a “historic opportunity”.

“It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country,” he said from the White House on Sunday.

“It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty as we all turn to the question of what comes next.”

Elsewhere, in his first public remarks since the rebels captured Damascus, the leader of the main group behind Syria’s armed opposition, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, called the toppling of Assad a “victory for the entire Islamic nation”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the country’s military to seize the buffer zone on Israel’s border with Syria and the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson issued an “urgent warning” to residents in southern Syria on Sunday.

In a post on X, Avichay Adraee issued warnings for five areas.

“Fighting in your area is forcing the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) to take action, and we do not intend to harm you,” Adraee said to Syrian citizens.

“For your safety, please remain in your homes and do not go outside until further notice.”

‘Hangs by a thread’

Syrian opposition leaders had agreed to guarantee the safety of Russian military bases and diplomatic institutions in Syria, the source told news agencies.

But some Russian war bloggers said the situation around the bases was extremely tense and the source did not say how long the security guarantee lasted.

Moscow, a staunch backer of Assad whom it intervened to help in 2015 in its biggest Middle East foray since the Soviet collapse, is scrambling to salvage its position. Its geopolitical clout in the wider region and two strategically-important military bases in Syria are on the line.

A deal to secure Russia’s Hmeimim air base in Syria’s Latakia province and its naval facility at Tartous on the coast would come as a relief to Moscow.

The Tartous facility is Russia’s only Mediterranean repair and replenishment hub, and Moscow has used Syria as a staging post to fly its military contractors in and out of Africa.

Losing Tartous would be a serious blow to Russia’s ability to project power in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Africa, Western military analysts say.

Influential Russian war blogger “Rybar”, who is close to the Russian Defence Ministry and has over 1.3 million followers on his Telegram channel, said the situation around the bases was a serious cause for concern whatever Moscow’s official line.

“Russia’s military presence in the Middle East region hangs by a thread,” Rybar said.

“What anyone decided in high offices is absolutely irrelevant on the ground,” he added, suggesting Russian forces at the bases had not taken the initiative to defend their positions in the absence of orders from Moscow.

Russian warships had left Tartous and taken up position off the coast for security reasons, the Hmeimim airbase had effectively been cut off after rebels took control of a nearby town, Kurdish forces had started to block Russian facilities beyond the Euphrates, and Russian positions at an oil facility in Homs had been blocked, Rybar said.

Earlier on Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement the two military facilities had been put on a state of high alert, but played down any immediate risk.

“There is currently no serious threat to their security,” the ministry said as it announced Assad’s departure from office and from Syria.

The Foreign Ministry said Moscow was alarmed by events in Syria.

“We urge all parties involved to refrain from the use of violence and to resolve all issues of governance through political means,” it said.

-with AAP