Assad Blames U.S. for Syrian Truce Collapse

President Bashar al-Assad said Americans are responsible for the collapse of the short-lived Syrian truce, adding that “terrorists” attacked a United Nations aid convoy in Aleppo, not Syrians or Russians. In an Associated Press interview, Assad said the U.S. accusation that either country was responsible was “just lies.” Twenty people died in the attack. During the interview, Assad claimed U.S. airstrikes on Syrian troops were carried out on purpose, despite the U.S. contention that the attack was accidental. “When you have many external factors that you don’t control, it’s going to drag on and no one in this world can tell you when” the war will end, Assad said. He added that if the U.S., Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar would quit backing insurgents, Syrian refugees who have fled the war-ravaged nation could return “within a few months.”