Head of the Syrian regime Bashar Assad acknowledged on Thursday that Iranian military officers were present in Syria to “assist” his forces.
He also said that the United States must derive lessons from Iraq and withdraw its troops from Syria.
He vowed, in an interview with Russia’s RT international broadcaster, that the regime will recapture, either by negotiations or force, the regions that are controlled by US-backed factions.
He revealed that the regime has started to “open the door for negotiations” with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that controls vast areas of northern and eastern Syria, where American troops are deployed.
“This is the first option. If not, we’re going to resort to ... liberating those areas by force. We don’t have any other options, with the Americans or without the Americans,” he said. “The Americans should leave, somehow they’re going to leave.”
“They came to Iraq with no legal basis, and look what happened to them. They have to learn the lesson. Iraq is no exception, and Syria is no exception. People will not accept foreigners in this region anymore,” he continued.
Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s description of him as an animal, Assad replied: “What you say is what you are”.
Trump called Assad an “animal” after a poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus in April. Medical aid organizations said the attack killed dozens of people.
In his interview, Assad reiterated the regime’s denial of blame for the chemical attack.
He also sought to minimize the extent of Iran’s presence in Syria. Israel, which is deeply alarmed by Tehran’s influence in Syria, said it destroyed dozens of Iranian military sites in Syria in May, after Iranian forces in Syria fired rockets at Israeli-held territory for the first time.
Assad said Iran’s presence in Syria was limited to officers assisting the army. Apparently referring to the May 10 attack by Israel, Assad said: “We had tens of Syrian deaths and wounded soldiers, not a single Iranian” casualty.”
Asked if there was anything Syria could do to stop Israeli air strikes, he said the only option was to improve air defenses, “and we are doing that”. Syria’s air defenses were much stronger than before, thanks to Russia, he added.
