Russia continues airstrikes despite ceasefire, Assad vows to retake all of Syria

Although major powers agreed yesterday to halt fighting in Syria, Russia will continue its air campaign in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, who has vowed to fight until he controls the entire country.

Although hailed as a potential breakthrough, it will be another week before the deal to end hostilities in Syria, reached at talks between major powers in Munich yesterday, comes into effect.

Russia says it will not stop air strikes even if the deal is implemented. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would continue bombing Islamic State (IS) militants and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, neither of which is part of the deal.

Syrian President Assad. Photo: AFP

Meanwhile, Türkiye's foreign minister yesterday accused Russia of targeting schools and hospitals in Syria. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Moscow had largely targeted opposition groups, not IS. He said Russia must stop this action for the peace deal to work. Britain and France also expressed similar views.

In an interview with AFP as the talks were underway, Assad said he would continue fighting terrorism and would retake the entire country, although it might take a long time. "It would be absurd for us to give up any place," he said. His stance has left many questioning whether the truce can be implemented seriously and completely.

The truce is not considered a formal ceasefire because it was not signed by the main warring parties, the opposition and government forces. US Secretary of State John Kerry admitted that the plan was ambitious and its success depended on whether the ground forces respected their commitments.

Secretary Kerry also stressed that the conflict in Syria does not necessarily have to end in the near future. The agreement merely provides a temporary pause to allow humanitarian aid to reach Syria. In addition, he said peace talks between the opposition rebels and the Syrian government will be restarted in Geneva, Switzerland, as soon as possible.

According to VNE