Syria's al-Assad: Will defeat terrorism with the language of force
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad threatened to use "force" to eliminate "terrorism," while Aleppo, the country's second-largest city, has fallen outside his forces' control.
In a phone call with an Abkhazian official, as reported by the presidency's Telegram account, al-Assad stated, "Terrorism understands only the language of force, and it is with this language that we will defeat it, regardless of who its supporters and sponsors are."
The Syrian president conducted separate phone talks, on Saturday, with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, during which he stated that his country, with the help of its allies, is capable of defeating the so-called "terrorists," no matter how “intense” their attacks may become.
This marked his first comments since armed opposition factions recently launched an unprecedented attack on his forces and seized control of Aleppo and its international airport.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Sunday that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS,) which originated from Jabhat al-Nusra (al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate,) now controls all of Idlib, except for some areas in the far east, and most of Aleppo, except for neighborhoods held by the Kurds. According to the SOHR's latest figures, 372 people, both civilians and military personnel, have been killed since the start of the opposition factions' attack four days ago.
In response, the Syrian army is making “rapid progress” in its offensive against the armed groups and has nearly regained all villages in Hama, according to Al-Mayadeen TV.
Russian and Syrian warplanes launched a series of airstrikes, targeting various sites in Idlib province.
Meanwhile, the White Helmets, a humanitarian organization operating civil defense teams in opposition-held areas, reported that a Syrian regime airstrike targeted the Aleppo University Hospital on Sunday afternoon.
