Assad breaks silence on situation in Syria after rebel offensive
Bashar al-Assad, Syrian President (photo: Getty Images)
The Syrian authorities rely on the help of allies to try to repel the offensive of anti-government forces that have launched a large-scale campaign in the Aleppo province. Anti-Assad forces have already taken control of dozens of villages and towns, including Aleppo itself, according to Bashar al-Assad's Telegram channel.
During telephone conversations with Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, and the so-called “president” of the breakaway Abkhazia (a Russian-controlled region of Georgia) Gunba Badra, the Syrian president spoke about the situation in the country.
According to Assad, Syria “continues to defend its stability and territorial integrity against all terrorists and their supporters.”
The Syrian dictator assured that the country “is capable of defeating and destroying them with the help of its allies and friends, no matter how serious their terrorist attacks are.”
In his turn, the Iranian prime minister said that Tehran “supports the Syrian state and assists it in the fight against terrorism and the expansion of its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability.”
The head of Abkhazia also told Assad that “the country supports Syria in all organized terrorist attacks it faces.”
Assad also emphasized that “terrorism understands only the language of force, and this is the language we will use to defeat and eliminate it, regardless of its supporters and sponsors.”
The situation in Syria and the rebel offensive
The large-scale offensive of anti-Assad forces in Syria has been going on since Wednesday and is gaining momentum. Thus, the rebels are already in control of Aleppo, while government forces and the army have withdrawn from the city and are preparing a counteroffensive.
For several days, the media reported that Assad had allegedly traveled to Moscow to ask Russian leader Vladimir Putin for help amid the rebel offensive. But this information was not confirmed. There were no statements from Assad for several days.
At the same time, Reuters reported the day before yesterday that the Kremlin had promised Assad additional military support and that it could be sent to Syria within the next 72 hours.
Meanwhile, on December 1, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine said that Russian troops were suffering losses in the fighting in Syria. Against this background, Moscow has changed the commander of the forces in Syria - General Sergei Kisel was dismissed and his place was taken by General Aleksandr Chaiko, who commanded the group of Russian troops in Syria in 2017-2019.
You can read more about the situation in Syria in our separate article.
