A spokesperson for the Kremlin said late Monday (Dec 24) that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's wife, Asma, has not filed for a divorce, rejecting earlier reports that had claimed she did so.

A spokesperson for the Kremlin said late Monday (Dec 24) that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's wife, Asma, has not filed for a divorce, rejecting earlier reports that had claimed she did so. "No, they do not correspond to reality," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the divorce claim. Peskov also denied reports that Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen. What did the reports say? With the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in Syria, reports, mainly in Turkish and Israeli media, said Asma al-Assad filed for a divorce and wanted to relocate to the Britain. The reports claimed that Asma applied in a Russian court to shift to London as she holds dual citizenship of the UK and Syria. According to The Jerusalem Post, Asma had expressed discontent with her life in Moscow. Asma's journey Born and raised in London Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Bashar Al-Assad the same year. She was 25 at the time. In early December, the Syrian leader sought refuge in Russia after rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, seized Damascus, ending Assad’s decades-long rule. Also Read: Bashar al-Assad's family flees Syria, president's whereabouts unclear: Reports Assad's life in exile Russia granted Assad and his family asylum on humanitarian grounds, but they remain under severe restrictions. Assad is currently not allowed to leave Moscow or participate in any political activity. Russia did not approve the asylum request of Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, which is still being looked at closely for review. The fall of the Assad regime was quick, with the HTS forces playing a central role in overthrowing the government. Watch | Syria After Assad: New Syrian Leadership Faces Major Challenges Asma's dual citizenship and plans Asma’s dual nationality could ease her potential relocation to the UK. According to reports, Asma was eager to start a new chapter of her life in London, staying away from her husband's controversial regime. Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos, and videos.

Kremlin denies reports that ousted Syrian president Assad's wife Asma filed for divorce

Aleppo
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<meta content="uuidTNOE0FnQWWk2" name="uuid"/>A spokesperson for the Kremlin said late Monday (Dec 24) that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's wife, Asma, has not filed for a divorce, rejecting earlier reports that had claimed she did so.
"No, they do not correspond to reality," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the divorce claim.
Peskov also denied reports that Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen.
<h2>What did the reports say?</h2>
With the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in Syria, reports, mainly in Turkish and Israeli media, said Asma al-Assad filed for a divorce and wanted to relocate to the Britain.
The reports claimed that Asma applied in a Russian court to shift to London as she holds dual citizenship of the UK and Syria. 
According to The Jerusalem Post, Asma had expressed discontent with her life in Moscow.
<h2>Asma's journey</h2>
Born and raised in London Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Bashar Al-Assad the same year. She was 25 at the time.
In early December, the Syrian leader sought refuge in Russia after rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, seized Damascus, ending Assad’s decades-long rule.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bashar-al-assads-family-flees-syria-presidents-whereabouts-unclear-reports-782206">Bashar al-Assad's family flees Syria, president's whereabouts unclear: Reports</a>
<h2>Assad's life in exile</h2>
Russia granted Assad and his family asylum on humanitarian grounds, but they remain under severe restrictions.
Assad is currently not allowed to leave Moscow or participate in any political activity.
Russia did not approve the asylum request of Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, which is still being looked at closely for review.
The fall of the Assad regime was quick, with the HTS forces playing a central role in overthrowing the government.
Watch | Syria After Assad: New Syrian Leadership Faces Major Challenges
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<h2>Asma's dual citizenship and plans</h2>
Asma’s dual nationality could ease her potential relocation to the UK.
According to reports, Asma was eager to start a new chapter of her life in London, staying away from her husband's controversial regime.
Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos, and videos.

Reports, mainly in Turkish media, had said earlier that Asma al-Assad filed for divorce and wanted to relocate to the UK. Asma applied in a Russian court to shift to London as she holds dual citizenship in the UK and Syria, as per the reports   



Aleppo A spokesperson for the Kremlin said late Monday (Dec 24) that ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's wife, Asma, has not filed for a divorce, rejecting earlier reports that had claimed she did so. "No, they do not correspond to reality," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said when asked about the divorce claim. Peskov also denied reports that Assad had been confined to Moscow and that his property assets had been frozen. What did the reports say? With the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in Syria, reports, mainly in Turkish and Israeli media, said Asma al-Assad filed for a divorce and wanted to relocate to the Britain. The reports claimed that Asma applied in a Russian court to shift to London as she holds dual citizenship of the UK and Syria. According to The Jerusalem Post, Asma had expressed discontent with her life in Moscow. Asma's journey Born and raised in London Asma moved to Syria in 2000 and married Bashar Al-Assad the same year. She was 25 at the time. In early December, the Syrian leader sought refuge in Russia after rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, seized Damascus, ending Assad’s decades-long rule. Also Read: Bashar al-Assad's family flees Syria, president's whereabouts unclear: Reports Assad's life in exile Russia granted Assad and his family asylum on humanitarian grounds, but they remain under severe restrictions. Assad is currently not allowed to leave Moscow or participate in any political activity. Russia did not approve the asylum request of Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, which is still being looked at closely for review. The fall of the Assad regime was quick, with the HTS forces playing a central role in overthrowing the government. Watch | Syria After Assad: New Syrian Leadership Faces Major Challenges Asma's dual citizenship and plans Asma’s dual nationality could ease her potential relocation to the UK. According to reports, Asma was eager to start a new chapter of her life in London, staying away from her husband's controversial regime. Disclaimer: WION takes the utmost care to accurately and responsibly report conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, Syria, Iraq, and non-state actors like the Islamic State, among others. In this context, claims and counterclaims are being made online and offline. WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos, and videos.

Syria's brutal conflict entered its 10th year Sunday with President Bashar al-Assad's regime consolidating its hold over a war-wracked country where foreign powers are flexing their muscle.

When Syrian anti-government demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15, 2011, they could scarcely have imagined their protests would turn into a complex war entangling rebels, jihadists and outside forces.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/east-syria-strike-kills-26-iraqi-fighters-monitor-285947">East Syria strike kills 26 Iraqi fighters: Monitor</a>

At least 384,000 people have since died, including more than 116,000 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor says.

The war has left cities and villages in ruins, shattered the economy and displaced more than 11 million people internally and abroad, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and Europe.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/fragmented-politics-of-syrian-refugee-crisis-jeopardises-the-future-of-millions-285579">Fragmented politics of Syrian refugee crisis jeopardises the future of millions</a>

"We've lost everything," said one of the displaced, Hala Ibrahim, a rights activist from Aleppo who now lives in Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold.

"I left my university, my house which was bombed," said the woman in her 30s.

"Nine years of revolution illustrate the extent of the suffering we have known, between exile, bombings and deaths."

Assad, with the military support of Russia, Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, has clawed back control of over 70 per cent of the war-torn country.

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Neighbouring Turkey, which supports local armed groups, has deployed its troops across the border in Idlib province, now the last rebel bastion and refugee of millions of displaced people.

Syria's latest fragile ceasefire came into effect there earlier this month, and Turkish and Russian forces on Sunday kicked off joint patrols in Idlib, Russian and Turkish media said.

The first patrol was however very brief and largely symbolic, as the route was "shortened because of provocations", Russia's defence ministry said.

An AFP correspondent, covering a protest against the patrol some five kilometres (three miles) away, said it never arrived on that section of the M4 highway.

Around 200 protesters had gathered on the road near the town of Nayrab, some setting tyres alight or piling tree branches across the thoroughfare.

The March 5 ceasefire has for now stemmed a deadly Russia-backed military campaign on Idlib.

The assault has killed nearly 500 civilians since December, the Observatory says, and forced nearly a million to flee their homes and shelters, according to the United Nations.

Among those displaced, Siham Abs and seven of her children have been living for the past two months in a camp near Bardaqli, not far from the Turkish border.

Among the tents lined up along muddy paths, Abs said she and her family would like to wash, but don't know where.

"I am 50 years old and I've never known such difficult times," she said.

Many of those unable to find space in camps have been sleeping in fields or have sought shelter in schools, mosques and unfinished buildings.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday said the enduring war was "proof of a collective failure of diplomacy".

"The suffering of the Syrian people during this tragic and terrible decade still defies comprehension and belief."

The Syrian conflict was born of unprecedented anti-government demonstrations in the southern city of Daraa.

The protests spread across Syria, but a violent crackdown soon saw rebels take up arms and wrest key areas from government control.

Jihadist groups also emerged, notably the Islamic State group which swept across large parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014.

Other foreign powers still operating in Syria include the United States whose troops, despite an announced withdrawal last year, are still stationed in the northeast, in a semi-autonomous Kurdish zone.

And Israel regularly carries out airstrikes on Syrian, Hezbollah and Iranian military positions.

The war has ravaged Syria's economy and infrastructure. The United Nations estimated in 2018 that the conflict had caused nearly $400 billion in war-related destruction.

Over half of all health facilities in Syria are non-functional, and two in five schools cannot be used, the UN children's agency says.

"Our message is clear: Stop hitting schools and hospitals," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "Stop killing and maiming children."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote this week on Twitter that "a decade of fighting has brought nothing but ruin and misery.

"There is no military solution. Now it is the time to give diplomacy a chance to work."

Syria's brutal conflict entered its 10th year Sunday with President Bashar al-Assad's regime consolidating its hold over a war-wracked country where foreign powers are flexing their muscle.

Syria's brutal conflict entered its 10th year Sunday with President Bashar al-Assad's regime consolidating its hold over a war-wracked country where foreign powers are flexing their muscle. When Syrian anti-government demonstrators first took to the streets on March 15, 2011, they could scarcely have imagined their protests would turn into a complex war entangling rebels, jihadists and outside forces. Also read: East Syria strike kills 26 Iraqi fighters: Monitor At least 384,000 people have since died, including more than 116,000 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor says. The war has left cities and villages in ruins, shattered the economy and displaced more than 11 million people internally and abroad, with many seeking refuge in neighbouring countries and Europe. Also read: Fragmented politics of Syrian refugee crisis jeopardises the future of millions "We've lost everything," said one of the displaced, Hala Ibrahim, a rights activist from Aleppo who now lives in Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold. "I left my university, my house which was bombed," said the woman in her 30s. "Nine years of revolution illustrate the extent of the suffering we have known, between exile, bombings and deaths." Assad, with the military support of Russia, Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, has clawed back control of over 70 per cent of the war-torn country. × Neighbouring Turkey, which supports local armed groups, has deployed its troops across the border in Idlib province, now the last rebel bastion and refugee of millions of displaced people. Syria's latest fragile ceasefire came into effect there earlier this month, and Turkish and Russian forces on Sunday kicked off joint patrols in Idlib, Russian and Turkish media said. The first patrol was however very brief and largely symbolic, as the route was "shortened because of provocations", Russia's defence ministry said. An AFP correspondent, covering a protest against the patrol some five kilometres (three miles) away, said it never arrived on that section of the M4 highway. Around 200 protesters had gathered on the road near the town of Nayrab, some setting tyres alight or piling tree branches across the thoroughfare. The March 5 ceasefire has for now stemmed a deadly Russia-backed military campaign on Idlib. The assault has killed nearly 500 civilians since December, the Observatory says, and forced nearly a million to flee their homes and shelters, according to the United Nations. Among those displaced, Siham Abs and seven of her children have been living for the past two months in a camp near Bardaqli, not far from the Turkish border. Among the tents lined up along muddy paths, Abs said she and her family would like to wash, but don't know where. "I am 50 years old and I've never known such difficult times," she said. Many of those unable to find space in camps have been sleeping in fields or have sought shelter in schools, mosques and unfinished buildings. The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday said the enduring war was "proof of a collective failure of diplomacy". "The suffering of the Syrian people during this tragic and terrible decade still defies comprehension and belief." The Syrian conflict was born of unprecedented anti-government demonstrations in the southern city of Daraa. The protests spread across Syria, but a violent crackdown soon saw rebels take up arms and wrest key areas from government control. Jihadist groups also emerged, notably the Islamic State group which swept across large parts of the country and neighbouring Iraq in 2014. Other foreign powers still operating in Syria include the United States whose troops, despite an announced withdrawal last year, are still stationed in the northeast, in a semi-autonomous Kurdish zone. And Israel regularly carries out airstrikes on Syrian, Hezbollah and Iranian military positions. The war has ravaged Syria's economy and infrastructure. The United Nations estimated in 2018 that the conflict had caused nearly $400 billion in war-related destruction. Over half of all health facilities in Syria are non-functional, and two in five schools cannot be used, the UN children's agency says. "Our message is clear: Stop hitting schools and hospitals," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. "Stop killing and maiming children." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote this week on Twitter that "a decade of fighting has brought nothing but ruin and misery. "There is no military solution. Now it is the time to give diplomacy a chance to work."

Syria's brutal war enters 10th year