LONDON: The recent leak by Al-Arabiya of a series of videos allegedly showing Bashar Assad in candid, closed-door conversations has reopened longstanding questions about how his former regime functioned — and perhaps why Syria descended into such a devastating conflict.
Assad is shown in the Al-Arabiya leaks, prior to his Dec. 8, 2024, ouster, making contemptuous remarks about Syrians, Syria itself, Eastern Ghouta and even Russian President Vladimir Putin, while speaking privately with his late adviser Luna Al-Shibl.
While the new Syrian government of Ahmad Al-Sharaa has not verified the footage, analysts say the material is consistent with the behavior patterns of Assad’s inner circle: personalized decision-making, narrative obsession and a deep-rooted siege mentality.
Assad is shown in the Al-Arabiya leaks, prior to his Dec. 8, 2024, ouster, making contemptuous remarks about Syrians and Syria itself. (AFP)
“These videos don’t actually tell Syrians anything new — they merely reveal, with complete clarity, what people have known and lived through for decades,” Ibrahim Hamidi, editor-in-chief of Al-Majalla, who is himself from Syria, told Arab News.
