Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal on Thursday called on the international community to take “practical steps to weaken the Syrian regime,” while reaffirming the need for the political isolation of Bashar Assad.

Prince Saud also vowed to take deterrent measures to combat extremism and curb terror outfits, such as the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, while urging international action to end the conflict in Syria.

Speaking on behalf of the Kingdom at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, Prince Saud identified the conflicts in Syria and Iraq as an immediate and urgent priority.

“Saudi Arabia’s position was and is still in support of the moderate Syrian opposition and the fight against terrorist groups on Syrian territory, but our battle with terrorism must begin with the elimination of the injustice that produced it in the first place,” he asserted.

Prince Saud’s speech came at a time when US and Arab allies unleashed a round of airstrikes against IS militants in eastern Syria, targeting a dozen small oil refineries on Wednesday and Thursday.

US officials have confirmed that the latest round of strikes was designed to hit so-called “modular oil refineries” — essentially small, IS-built refineries that the terror group uses to fuel its vehicles and to fund its operations.

Saudi Arabia is playing a key role in the US-led operation in Syria and Iraq.

Pledging to be firm, yet always fair, Prince Saud told the UN General Assembly that the Syrian regime has “lost its legitimacy due to its inhumane practices and policies that have created a fertile environment for terrorism.”

“We therefore find no solution to this dilemma but to eradicate the regime from the political scene, along with those whose hands are tarnished with the blood of Syrians.”

He called for the protection of civilians, while referring to the unwillingness of the Syrian regime to reach a fair settlement to the crisis in the war-torn country.

“A lot of evidence indicates that the Syrian regime is the first stream to the emergence of IS,” he added. The Syrian

Prince Saud said that the corruption of the Syrian regime, loss of its legitimacy and its adoption of policies of destruction have led to the elimination of the political and security institutions of the Syrian state and the creation of a security vacuum, providing the perfect environment to foster the emergence of such terror groups.

Prince Saud made it clear that due to this, there is a need to end the conflict in Syria through a political settlement on the basis of the Geneva Declaration.

“In this sense, our support for the moderate Syrian opposition forces should not be limited to military support to counter terrorist groups on Syrian territory, but should include practical steps to weaken the Syrian regime…enhance its political isolation and encourage defections in the ranks of the civilian and military personnel from within the regime,” he noted.