HMEIMIM AIR BASE, Syria — The Sukhoi fighter aircraft punched through the clouds, its growl echoing over Russia’s Hmeimim air base on Syria’s coast. Abu Zaid, a bearded militant with the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al Sham, cocked his ear toward the roar.

The rapid downfall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad has touched off a new round of delicate geopolitical maneuvering between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Syria's former President Bashar al-Assad is in Moscow with his family after Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, a Kremlin source told Russian news agencies on Sunday, and a deal has been done to ensure the safety of Russian military bases.

The Syrian regime’s collapse came more quickly than the rebels had dreamed — the circumstances were both serendipitous and part of a larger global realignment.

Moscow achieved its goals in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed during his annual press conference and a call-in program on Dec. 19. following the collapse of dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime. Commenting on the fall of Assad's regime for the first time, Putin said Russia invaded Syria to prevent the creation of "a terrorist enclave."

The sudden collapse of the long-established Assad family dictatorship in Syria changes the balance and constellation of competing forces in the Middle East. For many years, the Syrian government has been a client of Russia, and before that the Soviet Union. Turkey has also intervened, mainly in pursuit of the Kurd minority regarded as dangerous.

Asma al-Assad has filed for divorce from Bashar in Russia and seeks to leave Moscow, expressing dissatisfaction with her life in exile. Born in London, she is eager to return to the UK, where she holds dual citizenship,

Assad, 49, is currently exiled in Moscow with the toppled dictator, having left behind their lives of luxury in Syria. The former first lady is said to be dissatisfied with her life under the guard of Putin.

Asma al-Assad, wife of Syria’s deposed president Bashar al-Assad, Asma al-Assad, has filed for divorce after fleeing to Moscow from Syria, according to reports that appeared in Turkish and Arab media.

Assad, has filed for divorce and expressed her desire to return to the United Kingdom, reports The Jerusalem Post quoting Turkish and Arab media sources.