Bashar al-Assad: 'not even monsters' would carry out Syria Houla massacre

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria denied that his regime had anything to do with the recent Houla massacre, saying that "not even monsters" would carry out such an "ugly crime".

In his first speech to the Syrian parliament since January, Mr Assad instead blamed an imperialist foreign plot to foment unrest and terrorism in the country.

"What happened in Houla and elsewhere (in Syria) are brutal massacres which even monsters would not have carried out," he said in the televised address. "If we don't feel the pain that squeezes our hearts, as I felt it, for the cruel scenes – especially the children – then we are not human beings,"

The popular efforts to oust the Syrian president that now consume the country are not a "political problem" he said, but a "project to destroy the country".

"The issue is terrorism. We are facing a real war waged from the outside," he added.

Mr Assad, a qualified ophthalmologist, who insisted they will not be "lenient" in the crackdown, likened his regime's response against the opposition to a surgeon performing an operation.

"When a surgeon is in an operating room ... cuts and cleans and amputates, and the wound bleeds, do we say to him, 'Your hands are stained with blood?' Or do we thank him for saving the patient?"

Eyewitnesses of the gruesome killings where more than 100 people – including 49 children – were knifed or shot at close range, blamed pro-government militias. United Nations investigators have also expressed suspicion that loyalist gunmen murdered many of the victims.

Critics of Mr Assad said the speech was nothing more than a reiteration of the government's claims that it faces attacks only from foreign backed Islamic extremists

"Politically this is denial mentality," said Wael Merza, a senior member of the opposition Syrian National Council. "It is a contradiction. He keeps talking about reforms, dialogue and the political track whilst calling the opposition terrorists and criminals".

The speech highlighted cracks in the make-up of the regime, Dr Merza added.

"The speech gave many messages about his power. He no longer had the hysterical laughter, his tone of voice was weaker, and the Assembly had orders not to clap as much as before. You can see this came out of great pressure on the regime and on Bashar himself."

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish prime minister and Mr Assad's one-time ally, criticised him for his autocratic behaviour.

"So far, I haven't seen him approach reforms with a democratic understanding. He is still approaching issues with ... an autocratic approach," he said. "I believe that it is very hard to achieve peace in Syria as long as this approach continues," he added.

Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Saudi foreign minister, at a joint news conference on Sunday with Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary General, said: "Every initiative has been accepted by the Syrian regime and was not implemented. This is a way used by the regime to gain time."

With international outraged galvanised by Houla, Arab Leaders on Saturday called on the UN to act to stop the bloodshed. France raised the prospect of military intervention under a UN mandate, while Britain and the United States have both said they will not rule out military action if backed internationally.

Failure to resolve the crises has allowed instability to creep across the region. Lebanese troops were deployed in the city of Tripoli on Sunday after 15 people were killed in clashes between supporters and opponents of Mr Assad.

Najib Mikati, the prime minister, and other Tripoli politicians instructed security forces on Saturday to use an "iron fist" to quell the worst violence to hit Tripoli since the start of the Syrian uprising.

Sunni Muslim fighters have also fought street battles in the capital Beirut, and the kidnapping last month of 11 Lebanese Shia pilgrims in Syria has further fuelled tensions.