Russian MP: US possessed with idea to overthrow Assad

The statement made by US President Barack Obama on the possibility of a military invasion of Syria indicates his wish to overthrow Syrian leader Bashar Assad, Alexei Pushkov, the head of the Russian State Duma committee on international affairs, said. "Obama said the US reserves the right to a military operation in Syria. Being possessed by the idea to overthrow Assad, the US did not change its mind about a military invasion," Pushkov said on Twitter on Wednesday, reacting to a statement made by Obama that the US does not rule out the possibility of the use of military force in order to resolve the crisis in Syria, Voice of Russia reported. At a recent press conference in Washington, Obama said the situation in Syria remains unstable and the US continues to consider all possible solutions to this issue. He said he believes the situation in Syria poses a threat to the entire region, including allies and partners of the United States such as Lebanon and Jordan. Obama said he reserves the right to use military force in the interests of the national security of the US for the entire period of his presidential term, adding that this force should be used reasonably.