Assad Says Failure of Russian-led Alliance would 'Destroy' Whole Region
Syrian President Bashar Assad said in comments broadcast on Sunday that the success of Russia's military intervention in his country's civil war was vital for the whole Middle East.
"The alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran must succeed or else the whole region will be destroyed," he said in an interview broadcast by Iranian state television.
Russia on Wednesday launched air strikes in Syria in a move Moscow insists is aimed at fighting the Islamic State group.
But opponents including the United States claim Russian bombing raids are mainly targeting Western-backed moderate opponents of Assad.
"The chances of success for this coalition are great and not insignificant," Assad said in his interview, according to an extract posted on Twitter, warning that the price Syria's allies pay "will certainly be high."
He called on Western countries, which along with Gulf allies have carried out air strikes on IS in Syria since September 2014, to join forces to fight extremism.
"If these states join the fight against terrorists in a serious and sincere manner, at least in terms of stopping to support them, we will achieve results much faster," Assad said.
Western and Gulf countries insist Assad must step down after presiding over more than four years of civil war.
But a defiant Assad on Sunday again dismissed calls for him to step aside.
"If the solution was me stepping down I would not hesitate," he said.
IS seized large swathes of Syria in 2014 and has even managed to gain ground in the face of coalition air strikes, seizing the U.N.-listed heritage site of Palmyra in May.
Assad said a year of U.S.-led strikes had failed to stem the rise of IS.
"I haven't seen results. I even see results that are contrary (to the coalition's aim). Terrorism has seen a geographic expansion and the number of recruits to terrorist groups has increased," he said.
Syria's war has helped prompt a migrant crisis that has seen hundreds of thousands of people flee to Europe this year.
Assad said the war was "a black page in Syria's history" but insisted EU nations needed to take responsibility for the migrant influx because of the bloc's support for rebel groups.
Syria's civil war began with peaceful protests in 2011 but has since descended into a multi-front conflict, with regime forces, jihadists, moderate rebels and Kurdish fighters all vying for control.
More than 240,000 people have been killed and more than four million forced to flee the country.
04 October 2015, 16:02
66
The Butcher is a criminal and an assassin...he will be judged some day...
04 October 2015, 16:07
55
First, it was the success of the Baath army that was vital for the whole Middle East. Then, it was Iran's and Hezbollah's lebanese, Iraqi, and afghani militias success that was vital for the whole Middle East. Just like the failure of the aforementioned in Syria, Russia will also fail.
04 October 2015, 16:36
55
Those who say : "A doorway to Heaven is Jihad" are telling a lie.
The truth is that Warmongers go to hell ...
God is Love and doesn't need anyone to take weapons to defend Love.
And of course God doesn't need a party called "Party of God".
04 October 2015, 17:13
55
Bless Assad, and may all the takfiris and wahabis and all their western wahabi followers perish.
Assad did the impossible, he and his people held the line for so long, and they will continue to do so against you people.
Enjoy the airstrikes my salafi friends.
04 October 2015, 17:46
56
your master did nothing... on the contrary he let this situation rot so idiots will say that there is only one choice assad...
your master has always sided with islamists extremists he used for his interests, and he did the exact same thing here: create chaos so that he appears like the only saviour, exactly what he did to Lebanon....
04 October 2015, 18:00
43
Down with people such as this guy peace, whom acts to be moderates but still eats from the same Wahabi Saudi hands, that feeds ISIS, Nusra Al Qaeda.
They talk about mini skirts on future TV, uses it as a facade and to spread Saudi Wahabi influence.
Also they use stooges such as Geagea and Jumblat, whom are all willing to sell their religion in favor of dollars, power and fame.
04 October 2015, 18:01
42
Just because you try to act western, doesn't make you any less wahabis. You are still the Saudis stooges, yes call me Iranian do what you want, but don't deny this.
04 October 2015, 18:19
34
still your binary thinking empty brain miss tic? if against assad means automatically with ISIS? LOL
also where have you seen i am with saudis? oh! yes your limited binary thinking makes you say that...
but supporting a butcher that killed hundreds of lebanese on lebanesse soil surely points treachery your way and you even thanked assad for it... so spare us your hypocrit lessons, it sounds stupid coming from traitors like your kind....
you are really pityful...
04 October 2015, 18:28
42
Like it or not, they ended the civil war in Lebanon with their presence.
Also Al Nusra and all the other groups you support are just the same as ISIS, there are no difference except the names, even though you and the West and Wahabis plus turks, tries to act like they are all "moderates".
04 October 2015, 18:33
23
"Also Al Nusra and all the other groups you support are just the same as ISIS, there are no difference except the names"
you are really a sick demented person... find a post where i support those you claim? except in your demented mind i support them...
sure otherwise your brain bugs if i am at the same time against assad and islamists... it does not fit your binary brain pattern.
keep on supporting the regime that killed hundreds of lebanese and pretend to be "patriotic"... you are just an idiot.
04 October 2015, 19:47
23
@Mystic
A Lebanese Christian, including FPMrs one hopes, should be worried by your expressed views. They reek of deep routed sectarianism of the worst kind, that of total unwillingness or inability to accept others be them Saudis or any other.
You despise what you termed as the facade thereby denying the basic tenet of coexistence crucial to Lebanon's survival.
Are you sure you are even Lebanese? The model you present based on hate and sectarianism is *not* what most of us Lebanese want.
04 October 2015, 20:46
30
Wake up lebnanfirst, you should blame the whole Lebanese constitution for the secterianism we face today, not just me I'm a random guy on Naharnet.
Our whole country and politics are run by the different sects, if you read my point about Future movement, Geagea and Jumblat, you would realize that I am right about them.
When did they ever speak up for the Christians, Druze of the Levant being butchered by the wahabis? They never did anything to support them, because they take their money from the same ones that funded the killers of their own people.
04 October 2015, 18:05
72
The Levant is not Sunni or arab... Its a land of minorities. This wahabi wasabi culture is a curse on the middle east and the world. This Sunni/shiite war is a sad joke. What a shame Lebanon is controlled by these 2 factions now. Christians are the biggest idiots... handed over the country to people who can't even collect rubbish.
04 October 2015, 18:48
45
ado, that is not like you to write something like that. Some readers find what you wrote insulting. If it were true then no one would be insulted but you know very well that politics in lebanon runs much deeper than sunni shia divide. Furthermore, christians never handed over the country to anyone, it wasnt theres to begin with. Sure they had the priviledge appointed to them by france to hold on to power, but times change and privileges dont last forever. That kind of arrogance does not contribute to any progress.
04 October 2015, 18:25
23
Syria Detains Dissident who Criticized Russian Strikes
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/191276-syria-detains-dissident-who-criticized-russian-strikes
04 October 2015, 18:27
22
that is freedom the assad style and proudly supported by M8 : no opposition should stand their way! lol
04 October 2015, 18:41
51
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3253285/If-die-ve-happy-life-Astonishing-bravery-boy-faces-beheaded-crucified-Saudi-Arabia-taking-protest-17.html
how would you describe this then Peace?
04 October 2015, 19:42
32
so you too believe that if one is against assad means he supports saudis? you are pityful if you think that way.... saudis are no better than assad...
but then again will you understand that one can be against assad AND the saudis? lol
04 October 2015, 18:36
23
" Just five percent of the Russian strikes hit Islamic State targets, according to the British defence ministry."
sure they are here just to support the regime and their interests and naval bases. no more no less. but supporting the syrian people? it is not their business...
04 October 2015, 19:18
41
peacelover. nice perspective. But no. it is not like that.
First, Putin does not represent orthodox church. He represents russian orthodox who are farther away from greek orthodox than catholics.
Second Obama is moslem, not protestant.
Third, Pope Francis's who is argentinian has his attention not America, not the middle east.
so... no.
04 October 2015, 20:32
21
@.Southern_.
Lumping all opponents in one group that needs to be eradicated is hardly a smart strategy, to say nothing of impossible. The Israelis' tried it and didn't succeed nor did they get security.
Strongly identifying with a sect is not, nor should it be, at the core of being Lebanese, Arab, Iranian, Syrian etc.
Totally denying legitimate claims and aspirations of a majority by lumping all in one bag is not a strategy that can succeed.
04 October 2015, 21:58
11
Russian President Vladimir Putin: "Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could have avoided civil war by responding more quickly to demands for political change. The country was ripe for serious changes, and the leadership should have felt that in time and started making changes. Then what is happening would not have happened" - Jun 11, 2013
04 October 2015, 21:58
11
Mohammad Ali Sobhani current advisor in Iran’s Foreign Ministry and Iran’s former envoy to Lebanon from 1997 to 2005: "The Syrian crisis started with the detention of youths who went out protesting. This behavior continued until [the uprising] turned into a war, had the government calmed people and played its role, we would not have faced the current political and sectarian conflict in Syria" - Nov 27, 2014
04 October 2015, 21:59
12
Syrian VP Farouk Al-Sharaa, in an Al-Akhbar Exclusive: "At the beginning of the mobilization, the authorities begged for the appearance of a single armed person or a sniper at the top of one of the buildings. I do not deny that some of us acted as if the dialogue was unnecessary and whispered this to the leadership. So it distanced itself under the pretext that the internal and external opposition saw it as one of the regime’s charades. In the end, this finished off the political dialogue and opened the doors wide for the dialogue of bullets and guns. The drop in the number of peaceful protesters led one way or another to the rise in militants. The way events are heading will lead to an uncomfortable place where things will definitely go from bad to worse." - Dec 17, 2012
04 October 2015, 22:07
12
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said Monday that 90 percent of foreign terrorists who infiltrate Iraq did so via Syria. Syria is being used as a staging post for insurgents to launch deadly attacks across the border. Maliki reiterated that ties with Damascus would not improve until it handed over the suspects it blames for one of two bloody attacks on government ministries in Baghdad on August 19 that killed 95 people and wounded 600."We demand that the Syrian side hand over the main people wanted in this crime" Maliki said.
Maliki also insisted that Damascus "expel the terrorists, Baathists and Takfiris who take Syria as a base to launch criminal activity inside Iraq" - Sept 01, 2009
