Michael Mitchell, the regional spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, affirmed on Friday that “there is no military solution to the ongoing conflict in Syria.”

In his press statements, he noted that “recent developments are causing significant concern in Washington,” considering them a result of “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s refusal to engage seriously with political solutions under UN Security Council Resolution 2245.”

Mitchell emphasized the necessity for de-escalation from all parties, pointing out Assad’s increasing reliance on Iran to maintain his regime, describing this as “unacceptable and must stop.”