LATEST: Insurgents Claim Destruction of Regime Checkpoint Near Zabadani

Suffering a major military setback this weekend and facing the prospect of more, the Assad regime made its move on Monday for international legitimacy, saying it would join a collective effort against the “terrorism” of the Islamic State.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem (pictured) told a news conference in Damascus that Syria would work with the international community, even the US and Britain, if “the cooperation is serious and not double standards”.

At the same time, al-Muallem made clear that the regime’s condition for a joint effort would be an effective suspension of any support for the Syrian opposition and insurgency, warning “any violation of Syria’s sovereignty would be an act of aggression”. He said that Damascus must be involved in coordinating any airstrikes against the Islamic State.

Linking the Islamic State and the insurgency, the Foreign Minister said aerial operations were not sufficient to eliminate the threat: “The sources of terrorism must be dried up and neighboring countries must commit to controlling their borders, exchange security information with the Syrian Government, and stop arming and funding terrorists.”

Muallem based the appeal on a UN Security Council resolution, passed on August 15, which called for a cut-off of support to the Islamic State and to the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra, which is part of the insurgency.

The Syrian maneuver has been spurred by its losses, after June’s breakdown of a non-aggression arrangement with the Islamic State, at the hands of the jihadists. The Islamic State has taken a series of regime bases in northern and eastern Syria, and on Sunday the Syrian military’s resistance at Tabqa Airbase, its last position in Raqqa Province in the north, suddenly collapsed.

The loss of Taqba isolates other Syrian military positions in Deir Ez Zor and Hasakeh Provinces in the east and could put bases in Aleppo Province in the northwest at risk. In addition, the defeats — combined with insurgent pressure on Hama Airbase in central Syria — could disrupt the regime’s aerial supremacy, its main advantage in the 41-month conflict.

Last week, the Assad regime laid the foundation of its international appeal with a series of announcements and interviews. Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi had offered Syrian help to Iraqi Kurdistan against the Islamic State, and President Assad’s senior advisor Bouthaina Shaaban reiterated the message in appearances on US media such as CNN.

Muallem’s statement echoed the Assad regime’s strategy from last August, after its chemical weapons attacks near Damascus, killing hundreds of civilians, put it at risk of heightened international support for the insurgency and even foreign military intervention. Saying that it wished to be part of the global effort to check weapons of mass destruction — even as it escalated its barrel-bombing of insurgents and civilians — President Assad successfully worked through Russia for an international commission to supervise a handover of chemical weapons stocks.

Moscow again worked with Syria on Monday. After al-Moallem’s statement, the Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had discussed the situation with his Syrian counterpart by phone about “the importance of showing zero tolerance in fighting terrorism in all its forms”.

The US made no direct response to Muallem’s appeal. Instead, a senior Obama Administration official said that the President had authorized unilateral action in the form of surveillance flights to gather intelligence on the Islamic State.

The US Central Command has reportedly asked for additional surveillance aircraft for the operations.

Last weekend the British Government, despite pressure from some MPs and the former head of the military, ruled out cooperation with the Assad regime against the jihadists.


Insurgents Claim Destruction of Regime Checkpoint Near Zabadani

Opposition activists report that insurgents have overrun a regime checkpoint near Zabadani, southwest of Damascus, killing 12 Syrian troops and wounding others.

The checkpoints have besieged Zabadani for months, hoping to force a “reconciliation” agreement in the town held by insurgents since 2012.

Activists reports ongoing fighting in the area, with the regime using barrel bombs and helicopter gunships to attack the town.