Like something out of a movie

Videos reveal Assad’s secret escape tunnels

The Assad family's secret escape tunnels were uncovered after Syrian rebels were stunned by the huge underground luxury network.

(Bild: x.com/C4H10FO2P)

The flight of Bashar al-Assad and his family to Russia has not only marked the end of a decades-long regime, but has also provided an insight (see below) into the Assad family's secret retreats. Rebels discovered an extensive network of escape tunnels and a massive nuclear bunker under Assad's residence during the capture of Damascus.

A video purporting to show the "villa" of Major General Maher al-Assad leads to a labyrinthine tunnel system with high, vaulted ceilings - wide enough for trucks carrying Captagon (drugs used to finance Syria's regime) and gold to pass through.

Luxury even deep underground
The underground facility is said to be equipped with living rooms, bedrooms and massive security doors. Another video, also reminiscent of Hollywood movies, shows the remains of a nuclear bunker beneath Bashar al-Assad's estate. The footage shows reinforced doors, long staircases and even a living room with sofas and a coffee table.

Welcome to the tunnel:

In the meantime, however, there is only chaos: open drawers, scattered suitcases and ransacked objects show that looters have apparently already entered the premises.

Rebels comb through opulent estates
After years of oppression, Syrian rebels struck and conquered the capital Damascus without resistance. President Bashar al-Assad fled with his British wife Asma and their three children to Moscow, where the family had already been granted asylum.

Meanwhile, rebels combed through the opulent estates and now provide an insight into the life of the brutal rulers: tunnels leading into the depths and unimaginable luxury in the middle of a country reduced to rubble by the civil war.

Looting or hasty escape? What remains is chaos:

Rescue from the "slaughterhouse"
In addition to the network of tunnels, the infamous Saydnayah prison, known as the "slaughterhouse", also came into focus. Rebels claim to have freed hundreds of inmates there, including women and children, from underground cells. However, many people are still being held in the "red cells" - areas known for their cruel conditions and mass executions.

A fragile aftermath
While Syria hopes for the beginning of a new era, the future remains uncertain. Millions of Syrians could return home after years of exile. But the traces of looting, flight and decades of oppression will remain visible for a long time. What remains is the image of a fallen regime that hid from its own people in underground fortresses.