Bashar al-Assad Promises to 'Liberate' All of Syrian Territory

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad promised on Tuesday, June 8, to 'liberate' all of the country's territory, similar to the historical city of Palmyra, which was under the control of the 'Islamic State' group. According to the Associated Press, as al-Assad spoke in the new Syrian parliament, government forces continued their offensive operations in northern Raqqa province, the center of the self-proclaimed 'Islamic State'. At the same time, government forces have besieged rebel-held neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria's largest city. Al-Assad claimed that the position of government forces is much better compared to a year ago and urged the Syrian people not to worry because 'the situation is good'. At the beginning of the session, as Bashar al-Assad entered the parliament, representatives stood up and chanted, 'Bashar, you are our soul, and we will sacrifice our blood for you'. Since the Russian military intervention in September 2015, the position of government forces has improved, allowing them to reclaim large areas from rebels. The biggest victory for government forces was the recapture of Palmyra from 'Islamic State' fighters in March of this year. In part of his speech, which was met with continuous applause from parliament members, al-Assad stated, 'Just as we liberated Palmyra and other areas before it, we will liberate all of Syria. We have no option other than victory.' The president added, 'Our war against terrorism will continue not because we love war, but because they imposed war on us.' He blamed foreign countries for the five-year internal conflict in Syria, stating, 'As long as we do not eradicate terrorism wherever it is, bloodshed will not end.' This was al-Assad's first speech in the newly elected parliament and his first public address since January. He thanked the Chinese government for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution to sanction the Syrian government a few months after the war began. He also thanked the governments of Russia and Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the main allies of al-Assad's regime, which have played a decisive role in shifting the military balance in favor of government forces. Al-Assad blamed the rebels for the failure of three rounds of indirect peace negotiations in recent months, describing his opponents as 'traitors dependent on foreign powers who have become the carpet under their masters'. Opposition forces argue that Bashar al-Assad should not participate in any power transfer plan or the country's political future. Al-Assad expressed his opposition to any changes to the constitution that could lead to the division of Syria based on ethnic and religious distinctions. He stated, 'A sectarian system turns the children of the nation into enemies and adversaries of one another.' Al-Assad also referred to two separate offensive operations towards Raqqa city. In recent days, the Syrian army, supported by Russian aircraft from the southwest, and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which mainly include Kurdish fighters and are supported by the US, have launched a wide-ranging offensive towards Raqqa, the center of the self-proclaimed 'Islamic State'. Sharafan Darwish, a leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said on Tuesday that the group's fighters have seized two more villages. The group's attacks began last week with air support from the US-led international coalition to capture the city of Manbij, which is located on an important supply route between the Turkish border and Raqqa. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent group based in Britain that collects news on the civil war, reported on Tuesday that the fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces have now reached two kilometers south of Manbij. According to this organization, since the beginning of this operation, the Syrian Democratic Forces have captured 52 villages and farms.