Russia to support withdrawal of North Korean mission staff in Syria

Russia has supported the withdrawal of North Korean mission employees in Syria, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported on the 15th local time.

"Some of the staff of the Russian embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus have arrived at Russia's Chikalovsky airport on a special Air Force plane," the country's foreign ministry said on Telegram.

Along with them, the employees of the Belarusian, North Korean and Abkhazian missions have also withdrawn, he said, adding that "the Russian embassy in Damascus continues to operate."

They reportedly withdrew from Syria via a special plane waiting at a Russian air base in Khmeimim, northwestern Syria.

President Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria with an iron fist for 24 years, fled to Russia just before rebels seized Damascus.