The Heat: Russia’s intervention in Syria’s civil war

The Heat

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad says Russia’s military intervention in his country must succeed for the future of the Middle East.

Assad said in an interview Sunday on Iranian state television that the alliance between Syria, Russia, Iraq and Iran must succeed or else the whole region will be destroyed. That statement came as Russia intensified airstrikes across Syria in a move Moscow insists is aimed at fighting Islamic State.

An estimated 240,000 people have died in Syria’s civil war since 2011 and the United Nations estimates the refugee population at nearly 12 million people.

CCTV America’s Julia Lyubova spoke to The Heat from Moscow.

The Heat continued the discussion with:

  • Vladimir Golstein is a Russian scholar and Associate Professor of Slavic studies at Brown University.
  • Lieutenant Colonel Tony Shaffer is a retired U.S. intelligence officer and currently a senior fellow with the London Center on Policy Research.

Russia began a bombing campaign last week at the request of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to combat terrorism in his war-torn country.

The discussion continued:

  • Muhammad Ali is a Syrian journalist and commentator.
  • Rasha Elass is a Syrian-American journalist who has covered the Middle East for over ten years.