US calls Assad 'deluded' to think he'll win Syrian war

With Russia changing the balance of power, Syrian president vows to retake the country, but a heavy price will be paid.

Syrian residents inspect damage from what activists said was a government air strike

Syria's Bashar al-Assad is "deluded" if he thinks his forces will retake all of the country from rebel fighters, the US said, after the president claimed in an interview that victory was just a matter of time.
While vowing to win the war, Assad said the involvement of regional players in the conflict would mean "the solution will take a long time and will incur a heavy price".

"We have fully believed in negotiations and in political action since the beginning of the crisis, however, if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism," Assad told the AFP news agency in an interview published on Friday.
"The two tracks are inevitable in Syria: first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism."