A plane believed to be carrying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took off from Damascus airport on the morning of December 8 as rebels took control of the capital. However, it disappeared from radar screens mid-range.
There is speculation about the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid reports that the plane believed to be carrying him may have crashed or been shot down while the Syrian leader was leaving Damascus, India Today reported.
Open-source data from online tracking tool Flightradar24.com shows that a Syrian Air flight took off from Damascus airport at the time rebels took control of the capital. The Ilyushin Il-76T was initially headed for the Syrian coast.
However, it suddenly changed course and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes before disappearing from radar near the city of Homs.
Flight data shows the plane dropped sharply from a altitude of 3,650 meters to 1,070 meters in the minutes before disappearing, raising speculation that the plane may have been shot down while flying over Homs province controlled by rebels.
Although the specific details surrounding the disappearance are still unclear, the sudden change in flight path and loss of signal have raised speculation that the plane may have been shot down or had technical failure.
Flightradar admitted that there may be differences in data due to outdated aircraft identification equipment and GPS jamming in the area. Despite the warnings, Flightradar said the data provided a good indication of the planes trajectory.
Although the identities of those on the plane have not been confirmed, Syrian sources told Reuters that there is a "very high possibility" that President Assad was killed in the incident.
"The plane disappeared from radar, it is possible that the transponder was turned off, but I believe it is more likely that it was shot down," a source told Reuters.
Egyptian journalist Khaled Mahmoud wrote on X network that the plane crash appeared to be intentional, citing the plane's loss of altitude.
"3D flight radar data of the plane suspected of carrying Bashar al-Assad shows that the plane crashed. The altitude of the IL-76 suddenly dropped and it looked like it had been shot down," he posted on X.
Some believe the plane was flying to Russia's Latakia air base - a location considered a safe haven for Assad. The base, controlled by Russian forces, has long been a key stronghold of the Assad regime. This is also one of the few cities that the rebels have not yet captured.
Although officials have not confirmed Assad's condition, the sudden disappearance of the plane believed to be carrying him has fueled speculation about the Syrian leader's fate.
The rebels announced that they had overthrown the Syrian government on December 8 when they took the capital Damascus in a quick attack, ending five decades of rule of the Assad family.
Syrian state television broadcast a video showing a rebel group claiming that President Bashar al-Assad had been overthrown.
