Syria's Assad says rebel advance a bid to 'redraw' regional map

BEIRUT: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded an offensive that has captured swathes of territory an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with US interests.

His comments in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian came as Syrian and allied Russian warplanes launched deadly raids on rebel-controlled areas.

Both Russia and Iran back Assad, and say they will help his forces fight back after Aleppo, Syria's second city, fell out of government control.

Syria has been at war since Assad cracked down on democracy protests in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and has left 500,000 people massacred.

"The terrorist escalation reflects the far-reaching goals of dividing the region and fragmenting the countries in it and redraw the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West," a statement from Assad's office quoted him as saying.

Pezeshkian pledged continued support and said: "We hope that with your tact, strength and fortitude, the country of Syria will pass through this stage with success and victory."

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group and allied factions took Aleppo at the weekend, except for neighbourhoods controlled by Kurdish forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

They also seized Aleppo International Airport. 

"God willing, we will continue, go into Damascus and liberate the rest of Syria," a rebel commander told AFP. 

Deadly attacks

On Monday, Syrian and Russian air raids on several areas of Idlib province in the northwest killed 11 civilians including five children, the Observatory said.

Other strikes in Aleppo killed four civilians, two of them children, the Observatory said, adding that air raids also targeted a Christian-majority neighbourhood.

Unconditional support

Russia first intervened directly in the Syrian war in 2015, and on Monday President Vladimir Putin and Iran's Pezeshkian both pledged "unconditional support" for their ally, according to the Kremlin.

They also "emphasised the importance" of coordinating with Turkey, the Russian side said in its readout of the call between the two leaders.

Turkey on Monday rejected any suggestion of "foreign interference".

Limited utility

While the fighting is rooted in a war that began more than a decade ago, much has changed since then.

Millions of Syrians have been displaced, with about 5.5 million now in neighbouring countries.

Most of those involved in the initial anti-Assad protests are either dead, in jail or in exile.