Exiled Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was recently hospitalised in critical condition after being poisoned while staying in Russia, according to a report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Assad, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was rushed to a hospital on September 20 and remained under medical care for nine days before being released.

Assad and his family fled to Russia in December after rebel forces overthrew his regime, ending a brutal 13-year civil war that began with pro-democracy protests and was met with violent crackdowns. The conflict drew in multiple foreign powers, including Russia, Iran, the U.S., and Turkey.

“Whether the poisoning was a result of confusion or more, no one knows,” read the report. “When Bashar al-Assad was admitted to the hospital

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