Bashar Assad vows to ‘liberate’ every inch of Syria

The Syrian president has vowed to “liberate” every inch of the country in the same way his troops recaptured the historic town of Palmyra from Islamic State earlier his year.

Bashar Assad’s speech, in front of the newly-elected parliament, came as government forces pushed ahead in their offensive in the northern province of Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS and the seat of its self-proclaimed caliphate.

Government forces have also almost encircled rebel-held neighbourhoods in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.