Moscow: The Syrian Embassy cannot confirm that Ambassador Bashar Jaafari has ended his stint as the nation's top diplomat in Russia, a spokesperson of the diplomatic mission told RIA Novosti on Tuesday, adding that the embassy's Telegram account had been hacked.

According to Namibia Press Agency, earlier in the day, the embassy posted an announcement on Telegram stating that Jaafari was completing his mission. However, the spokesperson clarified, "We do not confirm it, as our page on Telegram was hacked. So far, we have received nothing official from Syria. We have no confirmation of this."

Syrian news agency SANA reported on Monday night, citing an official source, that the Arab country's foreign ministry had decided to transfer the ambassadors to Russia and Saudi Arabia to the central office in Damascus as part of a diplomatic reshuffle. Jaafari, a former deputy foreign minister, has been serving as Syrian ambassador to Russia since October 2022. In Riyadh, Ayman Soussan, former assistant to the Syrian Foreign Minister, has been heading the diplomatic mission since January 2023.

Syria's armed opposition captured Damascus on December 8, 2024, leading to Bashar Assad stepping down as Syrian president and leaving the country. In January, Ahmed Sharaa, the leader of the new Syrian administration, was declared transitional president.