Speaking to the graduates of the 36th Command and Staff period of the Supreme Military Academy, which he visited in the Syrian capital Damascus, Assad said, "We can predict that there will be new wars and defeats after the defeat of the USA in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Noting that Syria has lost tens of thousands of its citizens in the war that has been going on since 2011, Assad said, however, that the political war is much more dangerous than the traditional, and said, "Despite everything, we managed to protect the army thanks to the people's belief in its protective power." “See you soon on the battlefields,” Assad added.