Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday accused an Islamist-led offensive of attempting to alter the regional landscape in alignment with U.S. interests. His remarks came during a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as Syria and its allies, Russia and Iran, launched airstrikes on areas held by Islamist rebels.
Assad, who has been supported by Russia and Iran since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war, said the offensive was part of a broader scheme to divide the region. This move follows a recent surge in fighting after Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, fell out of government control. The Syrian government, which had regained control of much of the country after years of shifting battlefronts, has now faced renewed conflict due to the Islamist-led rebel alliance’s latest offensive.
In his statement, Assad labeled the escalation as a reflection of foreign powers’ ambitions to fragment Syria and redraw the map to serve Western and U.S. interests. Despite the challenges, Iranian President Pezeshkian assured Assad of continued support, expressing confidence that Syria would overcome the crisis with success, just as it had in the past.
Over the weekend, the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies captured much of Aleppo, excluding areas controlled by Kurdish forces. Turkey, however, dismissed accusations of foreign interference in the offensive.
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