The Kremlin said on Monday President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to grant asylum in Russia to Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted as Syria’s president by a lightning opposition offensive.Al-Assad’s fall is a big blow to Iran and Russia, which had intervened in Syria’s 13-year civil war to try to shore up his rule despite Western demands that he leave power.Russian news agencies cited an unidentified Kremlin source on Sunday as saying al-Assad was in Moscow with his family.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“Such decisions cannot be made without the head of state. This is his decision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters but gave no further details on al-Assad’s movements.Al-Assad’s departure removes a bastion from which Iran and Russia wielded power across the Middle East. Al-Assad’s father, Hafez al-Assad, sided with the Soviet Union to try to achieve parity with US-backed Israel.The Kremlin said Syria was subject to