Despite the latest harrowing news in Syria that two car bombs killed at least 32 people on Wednesday, including at least 10 children, President Bashar al-Assad insists he will not resign.

Al-Assad said he pledges to rid his country of “terrorists.” CCTV America’s Asieh Namdar speaks with Thomas Sanderson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, about Assad’s plan for Syria. He me with al-Assad in 2007 and shares with CCTV America what he believes al-Assad is thinking now.

“It was fascinating to sit down with President Al-Assad. He was confident, he felt he could wait out the Bush Administration to a more amenable or workable relationship with the next leader,” Sanderson said.

“What I think he wants to do is, to the extent possible, is crush the moderate opposition which does exist, so that he can continue to reinforce this binary choice or perspective for outside audiences, which is: You have my regime or you have ISIS, which is extreme and vicious.”

Syrian children are frequently among the victims of attacks in the country’s civil war, but on Wednesday they appear to have been the target. The first vehicle exploded as children were leaving school in the government-controlled area of Homs. The second struck as adults carried away bodies, sending a new wave of panic through the crowd. No one has claimed responsibility, but Syrian rebels fighting to oust al-Assad have carried out numerous bombings in the area.

Story compiled from CCTV-America and Associated Press reports.