8.The comments follow the fall of Assad's 24-year rule after a lighting offensive by opposition forces that culminated in the capture of Damascus, Syria's capital city, on Dec. 8."Rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office and flee the country. We're not sure where he is, but word that he's in Moscow," Biden said amid reports that Syria's former dictator fled to Russia with his family.Assad was a close ally of Russia and Iran, but the two powers did little to prevent the fall of his regime. Ukrainian intelligence claimed that Russian forces began withdrawing from their bases in Syria following the rebel advance."For years, the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia. But over the last week, their support collapsed, all three of them," Biden said during a press conference.