Syria’s Assad warns Western strikes would ‘destabilize’ region

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian President Bashar Assad warns Thursday that threats of Western military action in response to an alleged chemical attack would only lead to further chaos in the region.

“With every victory on the ground, some Western countries raise their voices and intensify their activities in an effort to change the trajectory of events,” says Assad.

“These voices, and any possible actions, will only contribute to further destabilization in the region,” he says in comments posted on the Syrian presidency’s social media accounts.

Assad speaks during a meeting with Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other officials.

Assad and Velayati criticized Western threats to carry out strikes on Syria in response to the alleged use of toxic weapons over the weekend, the presidency says.

“The threats of some Western countries to attack Syria is based on lies that these countries fabricated along with terrorist organizations,” Assad’s office says.

— AFP