Syria's President Bashar al-Assad on Monday branded an Islamist-led offensive that has captured swathes of territory an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with US interests."The terrorist escalation reflects the far-reaching goals of dividing the region and fragmenting the countries in it and redraw the map in line with the objectives of the United States and the West,

They intervened on his side against rebel groups that ranged from the jihadist extremists of Islamic State to militias supported by the US and the rich Gulf monarchies. Now Iran is reeling from severe blows inflicted by Israel,

Diminished support for the Syrian government from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia enabled opposition forces to take the initiative and seize new territory.