Assad: Crisis can only be resolved by striking terror with ‘iron fist’

The Syrian crisis will only be resolved by striking at the heart of the opposition with an “iron fist,” Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Sunday, referring to the rebel groups fighting his regime.

Speaking on Syrian state television, the embattled president said: “I don’t think that any sane human being would think that terrorism can be dealt with via politics,” adding that “there cannot be any political efforts or political progress if terror is striking everywhere. Therefore terror must be struck in order to get the political process moving on the right track.”

In his 45-minute address, Assad lashed out at the Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition group, calling it a failure and accusing it of being “on the payroll of more than one Gulf country”, and of “blaming the [Syrian] state for terrorism rather than blaming the armed men”, or rebels.

“This opposition is not reliable … and it has no role in solving the crisis,” Assad said.

Last week, Assad said he was “sure of victory” in the civil war.

“If we in Syria were not sure of victory, we would not have had the will to resist nor been able to persevere in the face of more than two years of aggression,” he said, speaking to troops loyal to his regime at an event for Army Day.

“I have great faith in you and confidence in your ability to… fulfill the national mission that has been assigned to you,” he added.

Downplaying the popularity of the opposition against him, Assad said the bond between the people and the army was “the secret of our legendary steadfastness,” according to state-run media.

“You have shown the whole world that pressure and conspiracies, no matter how tough and varied, will only make you even more determined to confront challenges,” he said.

Assad’s forces have been making significant gains against the rebels on several key fronts recently, mostly in the central province of Homs and near the capital Damascus.

More than 100,000 people have been killed since the uprising against the Assad family’s four-decade rule began in March 2011. The revolt later escalated into a civil war which has uprooted millions of people from their homes. Meanwhile, efforts to convene a Russian-US peace plan have stalled.

Last week, the head of the UN commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria warned that the country is in “free fall” and has become a battlefield where civilians are the main victims of acts of terror, from indiscriminate shelling to rape and sectarian killing.

Paulo Pinheiro told the UN General Assembly that “massacres and other unlawful killings are perpetrated with impunity” — most by pro-government forces and some by anti-government armed groups.

He urged the international community to demand a diplomatic solution to the 2 1/2-year conflict.