BEIRUT, January 9. /TASS/. The Syrian army is fighting near Damascus against the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham extremist group, formerly known as Al-Nusra Front, which is not covered by the nationwide ceasefire, Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview with French media published by the SANA news agency on Monday.

"The terrorists occupy the main source of water of Damascus where more than five million civilians are deprived from water for the last three weeks now," Assad said.

The goal of the Syrian army is to liberate the Wadi Barada area in order to prevent the terrorists of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham "from using that water to suffocate the capital," the Syrian leader stressed.