Assad Says Aleppo Assault Is Springboard to Retake Rest of Syria
- Syrian forces to target Idlib after Aleppo, Assad Says
- Assad sees killing or driving enemies to Turkey as only option
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The military offensive against Aleppo will allow the Syrian army to make further advances against the government’s enemies in the rest of the country, President Bashar al-Assad told Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda in an interview.
The offensive, backed by Russian air power, Syrian army forces and Hezbollah and Iranian-backed Shiite fighters, has emerged as a potential turning point in the 5 1/2-year conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people and displaced millions. It has also drawn condemnation from the U.S. and its western allies, who have demanded Syria and Russia cease bombing the former commercial capital, where about 250,000 people are trapped.