Syria opposition groups on the ground are digging in their heels as the world focuses in on Russia’s and Iran’s ramped up military presence in Syria, media and Internet reports indicate.
Fourty Free Syrian Army factions in southern Syria released a statement addressing the new ground and air force from Moscow and Tehran, describing them as legitimate targets.
Moscow has been under fire from the US and other Western powers for striking areas Daesh is nowhere to be found.
Opposition groups and rebel factions have unified against the tide. Also on Saturday, the Syrian opposition’s external political wing Syrian National Coalition (SNC) joined powerful rebel factions and Western-backed rebel groups in Syria to sign a statement against a UN peacemaking framework drafted in July.
Just one day earlier, Assad’s government agreed to negotiate under the draft. Of course, that could have something to do what the framework doesn’t include—his step-down.
Here’s the Southern Front’s statement with English translation below.

Al Assad regime called the Russian and Iranian forces who are hiding under “fighting terrorism” slogan, while in fact they are only assisting the regime in its crimes against Syrians.
Your masks had fallen and your true faces are revealed. Especially for those countries who pretended to be our friends and support the Syrian revolution. Therefore we consider Russian and Iranian forces and government as our enemies and preserve our right to fight them as occupying forces.
We reject and refuse the dividing of Syrian land, and promise the Syrian people that we will do our best to restore our land in full. This is a goal that we will sacrifice our lives for.
The scene is now clear for all Syrians— our appeals to the Arab and Muslim world were in vane after their silence on the regime’s crimes. But this has only increased our determination and energy. May God bring us back victorious.