Fallon: We see no future for Assad in Syria

There is no future for Syrian president Bashar Assad, despite him declaring the recapture of east Aleppo as "history being made", Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said.

Speaking at a joint press conference on so-called Islamic State with US Secretary of Defence Ash Carter, Mr Fallon said: “There is no victory in bombing hospitals, in restricting humanitarian aid and ending up in a country that you only control 40 per cent of, and is half destroyed with millions dispersed and hundreds of thousands killed. That is no victory.

“We don’t see a future for Syria with President Assad, on the contrary, we continue to work for a political settlement in Syria that is generally pluralist, that involves all sectors of Syrian society, but not Assad himself.”

Outgoing Secretary of Defence Carter agreed: “This tragedy reflects an incredible brutality on the part of the regime and their backers, including Russia."

“The political transition is the only way that the suffering of the Syrian people can be brought to an end.

“The standard of brutality that’s employed stands in stark contrast to the way we conduct ourselves in Iraq and Syria.”

Fallon went on to say that Russia’s support of Assad in retaking east Aleppo has allowed for IS to make gains.