Former Syrian Prime Minister Riyad Hijab has ruled out a military victory by regime forces in Syria's seven-year civil war, saying Russia will eventually realize it was mistaken in supporting the Bashar Assad regime."The regime has no forces or military capability to take control of Idlib," Hijab said in an interview with the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera. "Everyone knows, even Assad himself and his top brass, that they are under the protection and guardianship of Russian Special Forces," he said. "Signs of weakness are evident in the structure of the Syrian state," Hijab, a former opposition negotiator, said.

"There is an outbreak of unacceptable and unreasonable practices such as areas in regime-held areas let alone tit-for-tat killings between militias and regime forces," he added. He cited that more than 40 regime officers and members had been killed, but without giving a specific date for the killings. "The regime is in the worst situation," he added, "Russia is working to disband pro-regime militias." "Russia will realize sooner or later that Assad does not deserve all this effort and support and that it has committed a mistake in supporting Assad," Hijab further said.

"There is a whole series of failures and deterioration by the regime that cares about its own interests even at the expense of its own community and people," he underlined.