Assad Says Syria 'Informed' about U.S.-Led Strikes on IS
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Damascus receives "information" about air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria, President Bashar Assad said in an interview published on Tuesday.
"Sometimes, they convey a message, a general message," he said in an interview with the BBC in Damascus.
"There is no dialogue. There's, let's say, information, but not dialogue.
"There's no direct cooperation," he added, saying the messages came to Damascus through third parties.
"More than one party, Iraq and other countries. Sometimes they convey messages, general messages. But there's nothing tactical," he said.
Damascus has grudgingly accepted the strikes against IS on its territory that began on September 23 last year, but has repeatedly criticised the coalition for failing to coordinate with it.
It says the raids cannot defeat IS unless the international community starts cooperating with Syrian troops on the ground.
Assad said the U.S.-led strikes had the potential to help his government if they were "more serious."
"Yes, it will have some benefits, but if it was more serious and more effective and more efficient. It's not that much."
Washington has ruled out cooperating with Assad's government against IS, and the Syrian leader said Damascus had no interest in joining the coalition.
"No, definitely we cannot and we don't have the will and we don't want, for one simple reason -- because we cannot be in an alliance with countries which support terrorism."
The comment appeared to be a reference to coalition support for other rebels groups fighting to overthrow him, all of which his government derides as "terrorists".
Assad said U.S. officials "easily trample over international law, which is about our sovereignty now, so they don't talk to us, we don't talk to them."
More than 210,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began with anti-government protests in March 2011.
- 'No indiscriminate weapons' -
Human rights groups accuse Damascus of indiscriminately killing civilians in air strikes on rebel-held areas, using unguided munitions such as barrel bombs.
But Assad denied that the army was using the makeshift bombs -- crude barrels packed with explosives and shrapnel that are generally dropped by helicopter.
"I haven't heard of (the) army using barrels, or maybe cooking pots," he said, laughing.
"We have bombs, missiles and bullets," he added, dismissing claims that his forces were using indiscriminate weapons.
"There are no indiscriminate weapons. When you shoot, you aim, and when you shoot, when you aim, you aim at terrorists in order to protect civilians," he said.
He also denied claims that Syria's government had used chemical weapons against its own people in August 2013, in an attack outside Damascus that killed up to 1,400 people.
"Who verified who threw that gas on who?" he said.
Asked if his government was responsible, he said "definitely not," adding that the reported death toll was "exaggerated."
He also said his forces were "definitely not" using chlorine as a weapon.
Since Syria gave up its chemical arsenal in a Russian- and U.S.-brokered deal after the 2013 attack, there have been persistent reports of the use of chlorine gas.
In many of those instances, residents reported hearing helicopters, suggesting the involvement of government forces.
10 February 2015, 10:18
57
The USA wants Assad to stay otherwise he would be gone in a minute. He is Israel's best friend and guarantor of its security.
10 February 2015, 11:57
54
Yea sure, israel keeps bombing his troops and helping islamists fighting him because they love him so much. I wonder, why... It must be because he arms and supports the lebanese resistance (the other "israeli friend" according to disinformation peddlers like you) that they love him so much
10 February 2015, 19:39
43
you dont make sense, get your facts straights: houthis are in yemen.
10 February 2015, 10:25
64
The U.S tried to remove Assad through their proxies they failed.
10 February 2015, 10:52
54
you are sooo naive... the USA never wanted to oust assad.... they need him to protect the golan for the israelis..
if they wanted, assad would no longer be sitting in his butcher's seat....
10 February 2015, 10:55
64
Is that why Israel shoots down Syrian jets over Quneitra and bombs resistance fighters there? Who is now being naive.
10 February 2015, 10:57
54
you are still naive... did they harm assad that much? no.... did they cripple him? No... it is just a warning to make him rememeber to stay at his place ... like a fithful dog need beatings from time to time to remind him who the master is....
but only you believe otherwise...
10 February 2015, 11:22
54
The only servants are your beloved takfiris receiving medical aid and air support from Israel in Golan, without firing a bullet on the israelis.
10 February 2015, 11:28
44
Mystic - why do you love a monster like that? He is responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of civilians. He uses barrels of explosive and chemical weapons against his own population!!
10 February 2015, 11:54
54
Only monsters are the takfiris he is fighting, the syrian people are with him, all this chemical propanda is garbage, there are evidence ISIS/Nusra uses such weapons aswell. Syrian Government supported the Resistance in 2006, when the rest of the arab league condemned them.
10 February 2015, 11:56
55
If so and as you say the rebels had and used chemical weapons, I think they should use it against the terrorist party. I wonder why they have not used it so far...... hmmmm
10 February 2015, 20:26
43
http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-shoots-down-syrian-fighter-plane-over-golan/
10 February 2015, 20:28
43
You shouldn't question facts checheni, next time make a search on google.
10 February 2015, 10:50
43
Sure the Butcher and Israel have a common understanding for the creation of a Alawistan. This has already been agreed at the time of the father, another great criminal. But, you can understand better why the Butcher is still here, because he has the role to create the new state.
10 February 2015, 11:30
42
Humble - Obama is not weak. He is very smart. As far as the US is concerned, syria's value is its ability to bleed Iran dry.
10 February 2015, 10:54
44
"I haven't heard of (the) army using barrels, or maybe cooking pots," he said, laughing."
well then I guess he never watch TV, coz it's been all over the news for years.
very bad taste joke anyway ! There's nothing to laugh about innocent people getting killed by barrels.
10 February 2015, 11:58
54
Yes, we all must believe what we hear on TV. If "they" say it's "barrels", than "barrels" it must be.
10 February 2015, 12:31
52
so u honestly dont believe that the syrian army is using barrels ?
10 February 2015, 12:56
44
i dont think it's actual "barrels", more like barrel-shaped maybe.. and the "barrel bomb" name was coined by rebels for added mediatic effect
10 February 2015, 14:50
34
texas you are getting desperate, the LAF does not have very precise aircraft or artillery, only way to destroy takfiris are to use whatever means necessary. You being fond of Al Nusra/da3ish and Fatah al islam has no limits, you would gladly allow them into Lebanon to remove the Resistance if you could.
10 February 2015, 14:54
24
Assad sitting comfortable on that couch must annoy texas and the rest here alot.
10 February 2015, 15:43
33
why do you always have to lie anonyme? are your arguments so weak they need to rely on fabricated BS?
I never said "LAF has deliberately targeted civilians in Nahr El Bared using Barrel bombs.", neither did mystic, and neither did FT. now buzz off and go sober up somewhere else.
10 February 2015, 16:02
33
as i said, they never said what you claim. none of them said the LAF TARGETED CIVILIANS (your fabrication) and even less that any of it was DELIBERATE (again, your fabrication)
it's so much like you to take a fragment of what someone says and build upon it all your fantasies
10 February 2015, 16:19
33
texas you should go to bed, before you ridicule yourself further. Takfiris are now civilians in your view? Yes just like they were innocent freedom lovers in Syria right.
10 February 2015, 19:41
32
yea, let's take it to a judge.. roflmao you're such a goof.
and btw "barrel bombs" are not cluster type munitions.
10 February 2015, 11:54
33
By next tuesday IS will be over and the magnificent Mr the president Bashar Assad will emerge a hero! Ok if not next Tuesday the Tuesday after, yeah that's the ticket.
10 February 2015, 12:11
53
what are you talking about? he already fell 2348,508 times since 2011!
10 February 2015, 14:59
10
Nah that's zionist talk! Mr the president is in complete control. Mark my words the heroic Syrian Arab Army of Mr the president will finish the terrorists off by next Tuesday, or the Tuesday after at most. It could have been this Tuesday, but he today he was busy giving interviews.
10 February 2015, 16:09
43
he's trying to refer to aoun, who holds his press conferences every tuesday, because aoun once said the war in syria would be over soon and he turned out to be wrong. it doesnt make any point or bring anything to the debate, but you have to excuse the leeches around here. they have so little to say that they need to cling on every slightest word, no matter how many years old they are, and no matter how trivial.
10 February 2015, 14:37
34
People it is said that the first casualty of war is the truth and god only knows the facts we can guess and assume , even the people who are actually in combat can not exactly tell what is fact , all that is known is somebody is financing this whole thing and somebody is supplying and in the end we the people suffer.
10 February 2015, 14:43
34
hahahahah the geneva 2 accord... did you just dream up those terms?
10 February 2015, 14:44
34
I think before the syrian war started bashar al assad was good for syria the country was thriving and peaceful i'm not saying who's right or wrong only that syria was pretty much a organised country for some reason someone did'nt like that fact and decided to turn the country upside down and i can't see it improve at all . So i guess we the lebanese will also have to endure that this unconstitutional government will keep the status quo.
10 February 2015, 15:08
62
Rafik harriri god rest his soul was good for lebanon but i think this stl has become farcical to say the least it is now near on 10 years since the assasination and it will be another 10 years and more but before rafik harriri other leaders of lebanon were assasinated and lebanon moved on i don't think the facts will ever be known but in the meantime Lebanon is paying dearly and will continue to the point where pretty much most of the lebanese will have migrated and the refugees from palestine and now syria will take over.
10 February 2015, 17:54
53
Nor do we need those awful Iranians in our business either. The Lebanese are very bright and a beacon in the Middle East and always end up courting less civilized countries to meddle in their affairs.
10 February 2015, 20:24
43
M8ers are so naive, they actually believe that the West is trying to remove Assad from power loooooooooooooool hilarious. Let me ask: how many years has the war been, four?? And the US has only provided the rebels with night vision goggles this whole time?? And this anti-Daesh coalition isn't even attacking Assad, even though they said Assad had to leave power??
Just remember, when the US wants someone gone, they go to Iraq and win in one month (it took seven months to find Saddam hiding in a spider hole). Assad is the guarantor of Israel's security. The West does not want an Islamist government in Syria that's hostile to Israel.
10 February 2015, 21:11
44
Flamey, you are a disgrace.
"They are using barrel bombs just like thw LAF used barrels in Nahr El Bared - the end justify the means." Let's analyse this excerpt:
They are using barrel bombs JUST like the LAF???????? Last I checked, the LAF did not drop indiscriminate barrel bombs filled with shrapnel. They were using Gazelle helicopters equipped with rockets.
The end justifies the means???? Last I checked, a grand total of 50 civilians were killed in Naher al-Bared, whereas tens of thousands of civilians were killed in Syria, and millions more were forced to flee.
Flamey, you really are an embarrassment to yourself, trying to compare the LAF to the Assad the barrel bombing butcher in any way.
