"It was a very provocative address. He is even more determined than before," Rime Allaf, a Syria expert at London's Chatham House think tank, told Agence France Presse.

"He told the international community: 'We will continue to do everything we can to remain in power while you are doing nothing but creating problems in the region,'" she said.

"He is taking the pulse of international opinion to see how it will react."