Syria ceasefire approaches with Assad emboldened, opposition wary
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An emboldened President Bashar al-Assad vowed on Monday to take back all of Syria, hours before the start of a Russian and American-backed ceasefire, which Assad's opponents described as stacked in his favour.
In a gesture loaded with symbolism, state television showed Assad visiting Daraya, a Damascus suburb long held by rebels but recaptured last month after fighters there surrendered in the face of a crushing siege. The Syrian leader performed Muslim holiday prayers alongside other officials in a bare hall in a Daraya mosque.
"The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media, flanked by his delegation at an otherwise deserted road junction.
He made no mention of the ceasefire agreement, but said the army would continue its work "without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances".
