The Syrian Center for Policy Research estimated at least 470,000 people died in the conflict that has cost $255 billion. The Aleppo offensive has sent tens of thousands fleeing to the Syrian-Turkish border.
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Assad said he saw a risk that Turkey and Saudi Arabia, key backers of the opposition, would intervene militarily in Syria.
The operation has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis, with some 300,000 civilians in eastern Aleppo facing the prospect of a government siege.
The Italian foreign ministry announced Friday that the aid, to be distributed via the U.N. World Food Program, will help provide legumes, rice, sugar, flour and vegetable oil. “Also, there is no need to demonize other people, except, maybe, the terrorists operating in Syria”, he said.
Diplomats from countries backing the plan met on Friday to discuss sending in urgent humanitarian aid.
The most recent Russian report, for instance, notes, “During air duty mission, Su-25 attack aircraft detected three hardware columns transporting militants, armament and munitions along the highway al Qaryatayn-Homs”.
However, Assad is equally confident that he can retake control of the whole of Syria, large swathes of which are now under the control of opposition forces and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).
“Regardless of whether we can do that or not, this is a goal we are seeking to achieve without any hesitation”, President Assad said.
Speaking at a security conference in Munich, Al-Jubeir called Assad the “single most effective magnet for extremists and terrorists in the region” and said his removal was crucial for restoring stability.
But Russia and Syria have continued to insist that the opponents they are fighting in Aleppo, including those backed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia, are “terrorists” and thus their campaign can proceed under the truce agreement, which exempts fighting against recognized terrorist groups.
A task force began its first meeting in Geneva, with its leader, Jan Egeland, saying he hopes it can pave the way for aid to be delivered to besieged areas in Syria “without delay”. Riyadh is also one of the main opponents of President Bashar Assad’s government in Syria.
In addition to committing military power to fighting the Islamic State group, Valls said nations needed to fight the radicalization of youth and work for peace in places such as Syria, telling Russian Prime Minister Dimitry Medvedev, “we need to stop bombing civilians”.
Germany’s defense minister has proposed that her country’s military can train Syrian refugees to help them rebuild their country when the war there ends. We spoke in the lobby of the Munich Security Conference, where the war in Syria is the dominant theme.
Why is there a war in Syria?
Major powers agreed on Friday to a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria to begin in a week, doing nothing in the meantime to halt Russian bombing poised to give government forces their biggest victory of the five-year-old war.
How has the world reacted?
The conflict, reshaped by Russia’s intervention last September, has gone into an even higher gear since the United Nations sought to revive peace talks.
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The “cessation of hostilities” agreement reached by the world powers falls short of a formal ceasefire, since it was not signed by the main warring parties – the Opposition and government forces. “There is going to be a lot more fighting on the ground before some serious ceasefire can be implemented”, Barnes-Dacey said.
