Al Assad accuses foreigners of plot to destroy Syria

Damascus: Syrian President Bashar Al Assad said on Sunday that Syria is faced with a foreign plot to destroy the country, as he addressed parliament for the first time since May 7 elections.

"The masks have fallen and the international role in the Syrian events is now obvious," Assad said, adding that the elections were the perfect response "to the criminal killers and those who finance them".

The embattled leader also paid tribute to civilian and military "martyrs" of the violence in Syria, saying their blood was not shed in vain.