DAMASCUS, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in an interview aired late Wednesday that Israel is hindering the settlement of the situation in southern Syria.
In an interview with the Iranian Al-Alam TV and released by the Syrian state news agency SANA, Assad said that so far there are no actual results of the efforts exerted to reach a deal with the rebels due to the U.S.-Israeli pressure on the militant groups.
He said that there was a chance for reconciliation, but the "Americans and Israelis prevented it."
Assad's remarks shed light on the facts amid the emerging rumors and conflicting reports on the Russian-backed agreement with the United States and Israel.
The rebel-held areas in the southern provinces of Daraa and Quneitra will be facing two options: either a settlement based on an agreement with the armed groups or a military showdown, the Syrian president said.
Earlier reports said that the Israelis want the withdrawal of Iranian forces from southern Syria to accept the agreement, which will see the return of the Syrian army to the rebel-held areas in Daraa, near Jordan, and Quneitra, on the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
But Assad made it clear that the presence of the Iranian military experts and forces are not for negotiation.
He said the Iranian-Syrian relations are strategic and not subject to any settlement in the south, adding that the Israelis are trying to provoke and embarrass Iran through their demands.
Assad's remarks came as a Russian-mediated agreement was said to have been discussed with Israel and the United States to settle the situation in southern Syria without battles, akin to what happened in other areas in the war-torn country.
The agreement was about evacuating the rebels, who refuse to reconcile with the government, to rebel-held areas in northern Syria, while the militants who want to stay must hand over their weapons and embark on a reconciliation process with the government.
The talks about the southern front came after the Syrian army secured the vicinity of the capital Damascus from the rebels and also the entire central province of Homs.
After these achievements that have included the withdrawal of rebels, the army made the southern front the next target for either a wide-scale military operation or a reconciliation.
In his interview, Assad said contacts are ongoing between the Russians, Americans and the Israelis about the situation in southern Syria, adding that no one is contacting with "terrorists" because "they do what they are told."
As for the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which is supported by Iran, Assad said that the battle is long and ongoing and so is the tripartite alliance between Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.
"Hezbollah is a key factor in this war, and the war is long and our need for these military forces will last for a long time," Assad said, answering the question whether his administration has asked Hezbollah to leave Syria.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group has released several reports about the military reinforcements that are being sent to southern Syria as a prelude for a military action should the negotiations fail.
