Syria Civil War: Uprising Will Be Crushed With Iron Fist, Says Assad

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has yet again ruled out any political solution to the two-year-long conflict with rebels.

In a rare address on state television, Assad said opposition groups' "terror" must be dealt with an "iron fist".

The Assad regime has been constantly getting the better of the rebels in the last few months recapturing some key cities including Homs.

"No solution can be reached with terror except by striking it with an iron fist. I don't think that any sane human being would think that terrorism can be dealt with via politics," he said.

The unrest, which started in March 2011, gradually gained momentum turning into a bloody war which has killed at least 100,000 people so far.

Assad also dismissed the credibility of opposition groups and insisted that they do not want to resolve the crisis. He said the Syrian National Coalition, one of the main opposition groups, was "on the payroll of more than one Gulf country", in a veiled reference to Saudi Arabia and other countries helping the rebels.

The ongoing civil war has forced millions of Syrians to seek refuge in neighbouring countries and has thrown the country into a deep economic crisis.

"It is true that there is a battle being fought in the media and on (the internet), but the crisis will only be solved on the battlefield," said Assad.

His latest remarks are likely to have a serious impact on the forthcoming peace talks dubbed Geneva 2 proposed by US and Russia.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Syrian regime of using ballistic missiles against the civilian population causing the deaths of several children.

The US-based watchdog said during the last six months the Assad regime has carried out nine missile attacks killing at least 215 people including 100 children.

Use of such missiles "strongly suggests that the military wilfully used methods of warfare incapable of distinguishing between civilians and combatants, a serious violation of international humanitarian law", the HRW said.