DAMASCUS: Syria’s first lady Asma Al-Assad said she rejected multiple offers to flee the war-ravaged country with her children, according to an interview with broadcaster Russia24 aired yesterday.

The comments were part of the British-born Assad’s first interview with international media since Syria’s revolt erupted in 2011 with demands for her husband Bashar’s ouster. “I never thought of being anywhere else at all. ... Yes, I was offered the opportunity to leave Syria, or rather to run from Syria,” the 41-year-old said.

“These offers included guarantees of safety and protection for my children, and even financial security. It doesn’t take a genius to know what these people were really after. It was never about my wellbeing or my children - it was a deliberate attempt to shatter people’s confidence in their president,” she said.