Assad: Russian failure will be Mideast downfall

DAMASCUS—Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the success of Russia’s military intervention in his war-torn country would be vital for the entire Middle East, as Moscow ramped up its bombing campaign on Sunday.

Russian raids against what Moscow said were Islamic State (IS) targets took place for a fifth day despite accusations in the West that the strikes were targeting moderate opponents of the regime.

“The alliance between Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran must succeed or else the whole region will be destroyed,” Assad said in an interview broadcast by Iranian state television. “The chances of success for this coalition are great.”

Russia said it had dropped concrete-busting munitions on IS targets, destroying command posts and other structures.

Washington accused Russia of seeking to buttress Assad and targeting Western-backed moderate opposition and IS fighters alike.

President Barack Obama called Russia’s dramatic intervention a “recipe for disaster,” but pledged Washington would not be drawn into a proxy war.

British Prime Minister David Cameron urged Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday to “change direction” in Syria and recognize that Assad must be replaced.

“Tragically, what has happened is that most of the Russian air strikes ... have been in parts of Syria not controlled by IS but by other opponents of the regime,” Cameron told the BBC.

Putin’s spokesperson challenged the West’s distinction between jihadist and other Islamist rebel groups.

Assad on Sunday poured scorn on Western-led efforts to take on IS.

“I haven’t seen results. I even see results that are contrary (to the coalition’s aim). Terrorism has seen a geographic expansion and the number of recruits to terrorist groups has increased,” he said.