Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed recent rumors that former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had been poisoned, affirming that Assad and his family are safe and living in Moscow without issue.
Earlier this month, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) cited an anonymous source claiming that Assad had been discharged from a Moscow hospital following a supposed poisoning attempt in September. The reports quickly spread through both Western and Russian media.
Lavrov, speaking on the matter, emphasized that “Assad has no problem living in our capital” and that “no poisonings have occurred.” He added, “If such rumors appear, I leave them to the conscience of those who spread them.”
The Russian foreign minister noted that Russia had granted Assad and his family asylum “for purely humanitarian reasons,” citing threats to their safety following last year’s change of power in Damascus.
Lavrov also drew comparisons to the 2011 conflict in Libya, recalling the televised killing of Muammar Gaddafi, which he controversially claimed “delighted Hillary Clinton, who watched his physical annihilation live and clapped her hands.”
Assad, a longtime ally of Moscow, was overthrown last December after forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of Damascus. Since then, Syria has remained unstable, with ongoing clashes between Islamist factions and units loyal to the new leadership.
Russia continues to maintain its military presence at the Khmeimim Airbase and the Tartus naval facility and has stated its intention to repurpose these bases for humanitarian operations in coordination with Syrian authorities.
SOHR, the organization that first reported the alleged poisoning, is run by a single individual, Rami Abdulrahman, from his home in Coventry, England. While frequently cited by Western media and governments, SOHR has faced repeated accusations of anti-Assad bias and support for armed opposition groups.
