Al-Assad: Syria's foes 'will go to hell'

U.S. State Department spokeswoman: Bashar al-Assad has lost all legitimacy The Syrian president lays out a plan for reconciliation, but says he won't work with "terrorists" Al-Assad has been "rejected by his people and his traditional allies," says the opposition (CNN) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stood firm Sunday against global calls for him to step down, insisting that his vision should be the foundation of any future solution to the country's crisis. In a rare public speech, al-Assad lambasted those who want to "fragment Syria" and accused foreigners of helping fuel terrorism on the ground. "Those are the enemies of the people and the enemies of God. And the enemies of God will go to hell," the president told a packed auditorium of supporters. .cnnArticleGalleryNav{border:1px solid #000;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavOn{background-color:#C03;border:1px solid #000;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:20px} .cnnArticleGalleryNavDisabled{background-color:#222;border:1px solid #000;color:#666;float:left;height:25px;text-align:center;width:25px} .cnnArticleExpandableTarget{background-color:#000;display:none;position:absolute} .cnnArticlePhotoContainer{height:122px;width:214px} .cnnArticleBoxImage{cursor:pointer;height:122px;padding-top:0;width:214px} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControl{background-color:#000;color:#FFF} .cnnArticleGalleryCaptionControlText{cursor:pointer;float:right;font-size:10px;padding:3px 10px 3px 3px} .cnnArticleGalleryPhotoContainer cite{background:none repeat scroll 0 0 #000;bottom:48px;color:#FFF;height:auto;left:420px;opacity:.7;position:absolute;width:200px;padding:10px} .cnnArticleGalleryClose{background-color:#fff;display:block;text-align:right} .cnnArticleGalleryCloseButton{cursor:pointer} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNext span{background-color:#444;color:#CCC;cursor:pointer;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:26px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnArticleGalleryNavPrevNextDisabled span{background-color:#444;color:#666;float:left;height:23px;text-align:center;width:25px;padding:4px 0 0} .cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{padding-right:68px;width:270px;margin:0 auto} .cnnGalleryContainer{float:left;clear:left;margin:0 0 20px;padding:0 0 0 10px} if (typeof cnnArticleGallery == "undefined") { var cnnArticleGallery = {}; } if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList =="undefined"){ cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList = []; } var expGallery41=new ArticleExpandableGallery(); expGallery41.setImageCount(39); //cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("Showdown in Syria", 1); Smoke rises after what activists said was shelling by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Deir Al-Zor on Friday, January 4. Click through to view images from Syria from December and January, or see photos of the conflict from November. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":true,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":1,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A resident reacts to the death of two of his children who activists said were killed during shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the al-Ansari area of Aleppo on Thursday, January 3. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":2,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Syrians carry the body of a victim who activists said was killed during the bombing in the al-Ansari area of Aleppo, January 3. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":3,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A street is filled with debris after fighting between Syrian government forces and rebels in Aleppo on January 3. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":4,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Rebel fighters inspect the debris on a street in the Bustan al-Basha district in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Tuesday, January 1. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":5,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Syrians reach for bread at a bakery in Aleppo on Monday, December 31. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":6,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Free Syrian Army fighters stand near damaged cars in Aleppo on Thursday, December 27. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":7,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A man walks near a missile on Tuesday, December 25, at an army barracks outside Damascus, Syria, that has been taken over by the Free Syrian Army. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":8,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Free Syrian Army fighters prepare a homemade missile before they launch it toward the military airport in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, December 23. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":9,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Free Syrian Army members display shrapnel from what they say are the remains of a rocket fired from the Syrian army in northern Aleppo on Thursday, December 20. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":10,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} An unexploded bomb is seen lodged in a street in Ghouta, east of Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, December 19. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":11,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon through a hole in the wall of the structure where he is positioned in the Qastal Harami area of Aleppo on December 19. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":12,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A child sits in the back of a vehicle at the border crossing leading to Masnaa, Lebanon, as people wait to stamp their documents before leaving Syria on December 19. Click through to view images from Syria from December, or see photos of the conflict from November. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":13,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Palestinian children who fled the Syrian refugee camp of Yarmuk wait at the Masnaa Border Crossing leading into Lebanon on December 19. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":14,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Syrians line up outside a bakery offering cheap bread in Aleppo, Syria on Sunday, December 16. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":15,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A Syrian boy walks past a rebel fighter in the northern town of Darkush, Syria, on Friday, December 14. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":16,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Two men on a motorcycle lead a horse through the northern town of Darkush, Syria, on December 14, 2012. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":17,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Rebel fighters push out a boat carrying two Syrian women fleeing to Turkey through the Orontes River near the northern Syrian town of Darkush on December 14. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":18,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Passengers gather at a terminal at the airport in Aleppo, Syria, on Wednesday, December 12. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":19,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A member of the Syrian opposition's Al-Buraq Brigade stands guard on a main road in the northern Syrian town of Ain Dakna near the Turkish border on Monday, December 10. Click through to view images of the fighting from December, or see photos of the conflict from November. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":20,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position as he aims his weapon in Aleppo's al-Amereya district on Tuesday, December 11. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":21,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Men warm themselves by a fire on a street corner in Aleppo, Syria, on Sunday, December 9. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":22,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A rebel soldier watches Al-Jazeera news in a shop near the front lines in Aleppo on December 9. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":23,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A rebel soldier prays in a shop in Aleppo on December 9. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":24,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Syrians mourn a fallen fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on Saturday, December 8. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":25,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A Syria rebel commander sits behind a desk in his bombed-out position in Aleppo on December 8. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":26,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A Syrian rebel fighter emerges from a hole in a wall in Aleppo on December 8. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":27,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Rebel fighters take part in a demonstration against the Syrian regime after Friday prayers in Aleppo on December 7. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":28,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A wounded rebel fighter is transported to a hospital in the back of a truck in Aleppo, Syria, on Thursday, December 6. At least 23 people died in Syria on Thursday, most of them in Damascus and Aleppo, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":29,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Rebel soldiers stand guard inside a building in Aleppo on December 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":30,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Angelina Jolie, special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency, meets with Syrian refugees at the Zaatari refugee camp outside Mafraq, Jordan, on December 6. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":31,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters stand guard against forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Al-khalidiya neighborhood of Homs on Tuesday, December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":32,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} In this handout from the Shaam News Network, Free Syrian Army fighters take cover in destroyed buildings during clashes with regime forces on December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":33,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Syrians cross the border from Ras al-Ain, Syria, to the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar on Tuesday, December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":34,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Boys walk through a damaged area In Aleppo, Syria, seen through a destroyed car on December 4. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":35,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} A man inspects rubble in a neighborhood of Aleppo on Sunday, December 2. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":36,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} The bodies of three children reportedly killed in a mortar shell attack are laid out for relatives to identify at a makeshift hospital in Aleppo on December 2. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":37,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Smoke rises from fighting in the Hanano and Bustan al-Basha districts of Aleppo on Saturday, December 1. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":38,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Syrian-Kurdish women and members of the Popular Protection Units, an armed opposition group to the Syrian government, stand guard during a comrade's funeral in a northern Syrian border village on December 1. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length] = {"currentPicture":false,"x":4,"y":1,"pos":39,"title":"Showdown in Syria"} Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria Showdown in Syria HIDE CAPTION << < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 > >> Photos: Showdown in Syria Event.observe(window, 'load', function() { //report the first gallery image to ADBP if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined') { cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image, ""); } }); var currExpandable="expand24"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='world/2013/01/05/lok-jamjoon-syria-violence-rebels.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130105090916-lok-jamjoon-syria-violence-rebels-00004720-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand24Store=mObj; Syrian rebels battle regime forces var currExpandable="expand34"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='world/2013/01/04/lkl-walsh-turkey-us-troops-arrive.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl=''; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130104104440-lkl-walsh-turkey-us-troops-arrive-00003515-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand34Store=mObj; U.S. troops arrive in Turkey var currExpandable="expand44"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2013/01/03/exp-west-concerns-syria-rebels-amanpour.cnn'; mObj.videoSource='CNN'; mObj.videoSourceUrl='http://amanpour.com'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/130103103607-exp-west-concerns-syria-rebels-amanpour-00023101-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand44Store=mObj; Turning off the tap for Syrian rebels Al-Assad laid out a plan for a solution to the crisis, which he said should start with regional countries ending their support for "terrorists." The government frequently describes dissidents as terrorists. The president's plan includes a national dialogue as well as the writing of a new constitution that would be put up for a public referendum. But there's a major caveat to the plan: Al-Assad said he will not deal with "terrorists" -- a description that, in his view, includes the vast majority of the opposition. Similarly, opposition members have said they will not work directly with al-Assad's "criminal" government, nor will they accept any solution that doesn't involve al-Assad's departure. Egypt's Morsy calls for trial of al-Assad "There can be no solution to the conflict in Syria until he is pushed out with his team. His speech is continuing the war against the Syrian people," said George Sabra, vice president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces. In a statement, the opposition coalition described the speech as a "preemptive strike against both Arab and international diplomatic solutions." Al-Assad is incapable of coming up with a viable political solution to the crisis, the opposition coalition said, because he insists on remaining in power "despite being rejected by his people and his traditional allies." But just as he has throughout Syria's 22-month uprising, al-Assad refused to acknowledge the widespread movement inside his country seeking an end to four decades of his family's rule. He claimed many of the opposition fighters are not Syrians, but rather foreign terrorists bent on destabilizing the nation. "We are facing an external attack against us, which is more dangerous than any other previous wars," he said. "We are dealing with those who are extremists, who only know the language of killing and criminality." British Foreign Secretary William Hague described al-Assad's speech as "beyond hypocritical." "Deaths, violence and oppression engulfing #Syria are his own making, empty promises of reform fool no one," Hague tweeted. Similarly, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland criticized al-Assad's speech, saying it was "yet another attempt by the regime to cling to power and does nothing to advance the Syrian people's goal of a political transition." Al-Assad has "lost all legitimacy and must step aside," she said. As the president spoke, the violence carried on unabated. "I have heard 10 shells fall during the speech," resident Mohammed Doumany told CNN from Douma, a suburb of Damascus. Heavy shelling from missile launchers also hit the Damascus suburb of Mesraba during the speech, the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said. The opposition group reported that at least 101 people were killed in violence across the country on Sunday. The president's address, carried live on state-run TV, was al-Assad's first since June. Since then, tens of thousands of Syrians have been killed, and the country appears no closer to a resolution. During his last publicized speech in June, al-Assad called for unity. "We are in a state of real war, in every aspect of the words. And when we're in a state of war, all of our politics has to be concentrated on winning this war," al-Assad said at the time. But during the seven months since, reports from inside Syria suggest rebels are gaining ground. The battles between al-Assad's forces and rebels are raging closer to the president's doorstep, with some of the fiercest fighting taking place near Damascus. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war, according to the United Nations. The crisis, which started in March 2011, began when peaceful anti-government protests led to a fierce crackdown by the government and spiraled into and armed uprising and civil war. CNN cannot independently confirm reports of daily violence inside Syria, because the government has restricted access by journalists. In an open letter Friday, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, implored the U.N. Security Council and world leaders to take action. "Our people are subjected to genocide, and our country is being destroyed as the international silence is only encouraging the regime to commit more crimes against humanity," he wrote. "Halting massacres in Syria is an international obligation everyone should bear responsibility for." if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Amir Ahmed and Mohammed Jamjoom contributed to this report.