Syrian President Bashar Assad has crossed the line into depravity with his brutal campaign to maintain power, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday.
“They’ve crossed all the lines in pursuit of their goals,” Earnest said of the Assad regime, which has allowed the violence in Aleppo to escalate this week with its push to retake the city.
Assad’s strategy has included “bombing hospitals and playgrounds” and starving his citizens, Earnest said. “These tactics are depraved. They do cross just about every line that I can think of,” he added.
In 2012, President Obama infamously threatened to engage Syria militarily if Assad crossed the “red line” of deploying chemical weapons against his people.
After Assad did exactly that, Obama backed away from his threat and declined to use military force against the Assad regime.
Assad may once more be crossing lines described by the White House, but yet again, consequences will not be forthcoming.
Earnest insisted Wednesday that military action was not an option in Syria, arguing the only two approaches to the human rights crisis were U.S. military occupation and diplomatic talks. The administration is exclusively pursuing the latter.
The White House has been critical of Russia’s role in empowering the Assad regime to wage war against its citizens, stepping up its rhetoric in the wake of the latest failed ceasefire in Aleppo.
“What kind of civilized country is going to support those tactics?” Earnest said. “But that’s what Russia has done.”
He blamed Moscow for resisting a “bilateral” agreement with the U.S. that would allow humanitarian aid to move freely in Syria to displaced families and victims of the Islamic State and Assad’s forces.
“The Russians couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain,” Earnest said. “They are either unable or unwilling to control their client government.”
The White House’s criticism of Russia comes as President-Elect Trump is being accused of being too closely tied to the regime of Russian President Putin.
Earnest dismissed suggestions that the U.S. efforts had failed, noting the State Department has pursued “continued engagement” for years.
