Bashar al-Assad: We are confident our coalition will succeed

Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, has confirmed the formation of a coalition he describes as 'against terrorism' involving his country, Russia, Iran, and Iraq, stating, 'We are confident that this coalition will succeed.' In an interview with the state television of the Islamic Republic of Iran, published on Sunday, October 12, he expressed gratitude for Vladimir Putin's 'initiative' in forming this coalition. In response to a question from the Iranian news network regarding the new coalition's potential for success given the support of some regional countries for terrorism, he said, 'This coalition must succeed; otherwise, we will witness the destruction of the entire region, and we are confident that this coalition will succeed.' He also rejected the idea of stepping down from power to restore peace in Syria, stating, 'If the solution were in stepping down from power, I would never hesitate.' These remarks come following the initiation of Russian military operations in Syria. In recent days, Russian warplanes have bombed positions of the 'Islamic State' (formerly ISIS) and other armed groups opposed to Bashar al-Assad, although the West claims that the Russians have focused more on bombing moderate opposition groups. In the interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, Bashar al-Assad referred to Ayatollah Khamenei as 'His Eminence' and stated that he has a 'brotherly relationship' with him. Iran has supported this operation, and international media have reported the deployment of armed Iranian forces to Syria to fight alongside Bashar al-Assad's army and Hezbollah fighters. The confirmation of the coalition between Russia, Iran, Syria, and even Iraq by Assad comes at a time when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had previously denied a coalition between Tehran and Moscow to combat the Islamic State in Syria. The political protests and subsequent civil war in Syria over the past five years have resulted in approximately 250,000 deaths, the displacement of millions, and the destruction of many cities and infrastructure in the country. The Syrian President named Western countries such as the United States, Britain, France, as well as regional countries like Saudi Arabia and Turkey as Syria's 'enemies,' stating that their 'only goal they have been able to achieve is the destruction of Syria's infrastructure and the spilling of blood.'