叙利亚总统阿萨德抨击英国参加美国领导的联军空中打叙利亚伊斯兰国激进分子的行动。他说，空袭是违法行为，注定要失败。
阿萨德接受英国星期天泰晤士报采访时说，仅靠空袭不能打败伊斯兰国组织，迄今唯一有效果的行动是俄罗斯9月开始实施的空中打击。
阿萨德长期以来一直批评西方国家政府和一些支持叙利亚反政府温和派武装的中东国家。他抱怨说，美国领导的空袭侵犯了叙利亚主权。美国和其它希望国家说，俄罗斯的空袭基本针对叙利亚反政府力量，而不是伊斯兰国组织的武装。
阿萨德说，在2011年开始的叙利亚内战中，没有什么温和派反政府力量，只有极端分子。叙利亚的和平抗议演变为多方参与的内战以来，叙利亚政府称所有反政府武装为恐怖分子。
阿萨德还说，只要西方国家和中东一些国家停止支持恐怖分子，几个月的时间就可以结束叙利亚武装冲突。
英国上星期扩大了参加美国领导的联军的空袭行动，从仅仅空袭伊拉克的伊斯兰国组织的目标，扩大到也轰炸叙利亚境内的伊斯兰国激进分子。英国首相卡梅伦说服了议会支持扩大行动范围。
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has criticized Britain's entrance into the U.S.-led coalition attacking Islamic State militants in Syria, saying the airstrikes are illegal and will fail.
In an interview published in Britain's Sunday Times, Assad said Islamic State cannot be defeated by airstrikes alone, and that the only strikes that have been effective are those Russia has done since launching its Syrian campaign in September.
He has long criticized Western governments and others in his region who support moderate rebel fighters, and complained that the coalition airstrikes are a violation of his country's sovereignty. The U.S. and others in the West say Russia's airstrikes have largely focused on rebels and not Islamic State fighters.
Assad said in the interview there has been no moderate opposition during his country's conflict that began in March 2011, but rather only "extremists." The Syrian government has routinely referred to rebels as "terrorists" since the crisis expanded from peaceful protests to multi-party civil war.
Assad said if Western and regional support for terrorists ends, then it will take "a matter of months" to end the conflict.
Britain expanded its involvement in the U.S.-led coalition last week from conducting airstrikes solely against Islamic State targets in Iraq to bombing the militants in Syria as well after Prime Minister David Cameron lobbied his parliament for approval.
