Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned in an interview Sunday that the United States should brace itself for “every action” if it ultimately uses military force in the war-torn country.
“You should expect everything. Not necessarily from the government,” Assad told Charlie Rose. It was the first television interview that Assad has given since President Barack Obama sought congressional approval for a resolution authorizing military action in Syria.
Excerpts from the interview will air Monday on “CBS This Morning.” The entire interview will air Monday night on “The Charlie Rose Show” on PBS.
In saying that Syria is “not the only player in this region,” Assad also seemed to allude to Iran and the militant group Hezbollah, two of his regime’s allies.
“You have different parties, you have different factions, you have different ideology,” Assad said. “You have everything in this region now.”
When Rose asked if his regime will use chemical weapons as a response to American military intervention, Assad said it would depend on whether “the rebels or the terrorists in this region or any other group have it.”
“It could happen, I don’t know. I am not fortune teller,” he said.
Assad’s government has never officially confirmed that it has chemical weapons in its posession.
On the same day the Assad interview is slated to air, Obama will give six television interviews to build his case for military action in Syria. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is also expected to weigh in on the situation Monday when she gives her first public comments on the Syria resolution. Meanwhile, yet another poll came out Monday showing widespread public skepticism toward military intervention in Syria.
