Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad stressed that Idlib will return to the Syrian state, noting that the Russian-Turkish deal to avert a military offensive in the northwestern province is temporary.

Chairing a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Baath Arab Socialist Party on Sunday, Assad described Western accusations to Damascus of staging chemical attack in Idlib as “hysteria”.

“What we have witnessed recently of Western hysteria ahead of Idlib battle stems from the fact that it is a fateful thing for them, because the Syrians’ victory in it will lead to the failure of their plans and to Syria’s return as yet a more serious prospect in the face of their project in the region,” SANA news agency quoted the Syrian leader as saying.

Assad said that what is happening in Syria cannot be separated from what has been amply in circulation recently about the so-called ‘Deal of the Century’, noting that this deal is to benefiting “from the exit of many countries from the confrontation with the Israeli enemy.”

Meanwhile, Assad affirmed that as Syria progresses towards victory its enemies will ramp up their attempts to drain it militarily, politically, economically and socially, predicting that this will incur internal challenges which are no less serious than war.

Source: Agencies