According to a Reuters report on December 8, data from the flight tracking website Flightradar showed that a Syrian Airlines Il-76 (call sign SYR9218) took off from Damascus Airport when the capital Damascus was reportedly occupied by opposition forces. The plane initially flew to the Syrian coast, a stronghold of Assad's Alawite sect, but suddenly turned around and flew in the opposite direction for several minutes before eventually disappearing from the map.
Flightradar screenshot
Reuters said it could not immediately identify who was on board.
Reuters reported earlier that two senior Syrian military officers familiar with the situation told the media on the 8th that Syrian President Assad had boarded a plane and left Damascus with an unknown destination.