Assad to remain in Syria, warns West against action

President Bashar al-Assad scotched any suggestion he might flee Syria and warned that any Western military intervention to topple him would have catastrophic consequences.

Speaking in an interview with Russia Today (RT) television, Assad said he did not see the West embarking on a military intervention in Syria. “I think that the cost of a foreign invasion of Syria — if it happens — would be bigger than the entire world can bear... This will have a domino effect that will affect the world from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

“I do not believe the West is heading in this direction, but if they do, nobody can tell what will happen afterwards,” he said.

Assad said: “I am Syrian, I am Syrian-made, and I must live and die in Syria.”

The remarks were published on RT’s website as Syria’s fractious opposition prepared to meet in Qatar.