DAMASCUS — Syria's embattled President Bashar al-Assad announced Monday he will run for a third term in June's third presidential elections, officials said.Parliament speaker Mohammad Jihad al-Laham said during a televised meeting that the Assembly received Assad's presidential candidacy, Syrian news agency SANA reported.The move comes despite an ongoing three-year long conflict between the Assad regime and opposition forces which has cost the lives of at least 100,000 Syrians. Syria has announced to hold presidential elections on June 3 while fresh investigations about the use of chemical weapons are under way. The U.S. has called the election a parody of democracy.