New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- 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.

This comes days after Syria issued an international arrest warrant for former president Bashar al-Assad. The poisoning allegedly occurred at his villa near Moscow, a location said to be heavily guarded by Russian security forces.

Assad and his family fled to Russia in December after rebel forces overthrew his regime, ending a brutal 13-year civil war that ...