Assad Vows to Win Back ‘Every Inch’ of Syria

President Bashar al-Assad said on Tuesday that he would win back “every inch” of Syria in what he referred to as his country’s war on terrorism.

He was making a parliamentary speech, his first major address since peace talks over Syria fell apart in April.

The president showed no signs of halting his offensive on Aleppo, saying the province will be the graveyard for the hopes and dreams of Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, a major backer of armed rebel groups in the area, Reuters reported.

“Our war against terrorism is continuing, as we liberated Tadmur (Palmyra),” Assad said, referring to the recent seizure of the city from the so-called Islamic State with the help of Russian airstrikes, “and before it many areas, we will liberate every inch of Syria from their hands. Our only option is victory, otherwise Syria will not continue.”

Assad accused the Turkish president of backing militants and sending them to Aleppo.

Meanwhile, Russia said on Monday its air forces would support the Syrian regime in its fight against rebels in Aleppo, referring to them as terrorists.

Assad also thanked Russia, Iran, China and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah for their support.

Airstrikes Hit Makeshift Hospital in Aleppo

Airstrikes on Wednesday targeting rebel-held neighborhoods in Aleppo, including a makeshift hospital, killed at least 15 people, according to activists and a monitoring group.

One of the strikes reportedly hit just outside of the Bayan hospital in the eastern Shaar district. Video footage recorded by journalist Hadi Abdullah shortly after the strike shows rescue workers pulling bodies out of a partially destroyed building.

It was not yet clear who was responsible for the airstrikes, as government forces seek to regain control of the divided city.

At least 10 people were killed in the airstrike on the Bayan hospital, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Rescue workers with Syria Civil Defense, a group also known as the White Helmets, told AFP the death toll could be as high as 23 people.

Four people, including two children, were killed in barrel-bomb strikes on Aleppo’s al-Marja district. Another person was killed in an airstrike on the al-Maadi neighborhood.

Thousands Displaced as U.S.-Backed Forces Retake Manbij

The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Monday highlighted the displacement of 20,000 civilians in Manbij, northern Syria, following the U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city from the so-called Islamic State.

The statement came in a report that warned 216,000 civilians will be facing displacement if the problem continues, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

The Manbij pocket is now surrounded by U.S.-backed Syrian fighters from three sides, according to a spokesman for the fighters, who are attempting to push ISIS out of the last stretch of land the extremists control along Syria’s border with Turkey.

Displaced civilians are moving farther north toward the Jarablus border crossing, or to the west to rebel-held towns and villages.

The OCHA report said civilians could face difficulties in moving out of ISIS-controlled areas, and are in critical need of water, food and shelter.

Recommended Reads

• Al-Monitor: Why Turkish Military Isn’t Welcome in Syria, Iraq
• NPR: United Nations Urges Syria to Allow Air Drops to Besieged Areas
• Al-Monitor: Did Erdogan Look the Other Way During YPG Operation in Syria?
• UNHCR: Ramadan Pulls Despair of Millions of Syrians Into Sharp Focus
• Stratfor: In Syria, A Crisis of Cooperation