SBS’s exclusive interview with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus has aired on Australia television, covering a wide range of critical global and regional issues.
In the interview, which took SBS World News reporter Luke Waters two years to secure, President Assad says the solution to the conflict in Syria is obvious: dialogue. But he says that this is impossible because of outside interference in the conflict.
He tells Waters that his forces could easily conquer the IS capital Raqqa but he is wary of how Turkey, who he accuses of supporting IS, will respond.
Also in the interview, President Assad denies reports of recent clashes between his army and Hezbollah north of Aleppo, and says Russia and Iran are not propping him up but are rather defending their own interests. In addition, he rejects allegations of brutal human rights violations.