Did Syrian President Bashar al-Assad contact both Donald Trump and Iran's Khamenei before he vanished?

The 14-year-long civil war in Syria culminated on Sunday morning with rebels taking over the Syrian capital of Damascus. While the whereabouts of President Bashar al-Assad are not known yet, speculations are rife that he fled Syria, a country his family ruled for over 50 years, to an unknown destination. 

But, not without some last-ditch attempt to remain in power. Assad is said to have turned to both US President-Elect Donald Trump and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to ensure his grip on power remains intact, according to Iran International, an Iranian website based out of London. 

Ali Khamenei's senior advisor Ali Larijani is said to have visited Assad on Friday in Damascus as rebels advanced towards the capital and offered Tehran's support, according to Iranian MP Yaghoub Rezazadeh and the state-run Al-Alam TV. However, there is little indication that Tehran is willing to support Assad as Iranian-backed forces and the Syrian army withdrew from several positions. Iran also evacuated its military commanders and personnel, including senior Quds Force commanders from Syria on Friday. 

Lebanon's Hezbollah, which once sent thousands of fighters to fight for Assad, has ditched him after suffering huge setbacks in the battle against Israel. 

Not just Iran, Assad reached out to the West as well. He extended indirect diplomatic overtures to the US and President-elect Donald Trump seeking help, reported Bloomberg. He reportedly told the US via the United Arab Emirates that he is ready to cut all involvement with Iran-backed militant groups if the Western powers come to his aid in fighting the rebels. Assad is also said to have as dispatched a senior Christian leader to meet Hungarian President Viktor Orban to convey the existential threat to the Syrian Christian minority if Islamist rebels prevail. 

"The intention was that Orban, a Trump ally, would convey this danger to the incoming US president," the Bloomberg report said, citing sources.

Though Assad hoped his ally Russia would come to his aid, President Vladimir Putin was reportedly not thrilled by the way how Syrian army fled. Also, Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine. 

Now, Assad's men only have control of only two of 14 provincial capitals: Latakia and Tartus.