WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In a televised Fox News interview with former Cleveland Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Syrian president Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday blamed his country's civil war as well as last month's sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of civilians, on foreign religious extremists converging on Syria to wage holy war.

Assad said it would be counterproductive for Syria to gas its own people, and claimed the Russian government has evidence the attack was waged by rebels. He disputed a United Nations report that indicated the gas was deployed by his troops, and said he's willing to have Syria's chemical weapons destroyed by the United States and has wanted to rid the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction for a decade.

"The majority of innocent people have been killed by the terrorists," Assad told Kucinich and Fox News Senior Correspondent Greg Palkot in the hour-long interview aired Wednesday night.

Fox News Executive Vice President Michael Clemente said Kucinich, who has worked as a Fox News commentator since leaving Congress this year, started trying to arrange the interview with Assad on Sept. 7, when it appeared that an American military attack on Syria was imminent.

"I decided that Kucinich should pursue the interview, on condition that FOX News journalists would also be included," said a statement from Clemente. "We were presented with an opportunity for access to a volatile part of the world and felt that footage of Assad speaking would be of unique news value."

Kucinich met with Assad several times while serving in Congress. By the time he secured the Sept. 17 interview, Russia's proposal to secure Syria's chemical weapons had reduced the likelihood of U.S. intervention.

Clemente said there were no restrictions on questions that could be asked and stated "Kucinich was not there in the capacity of a journalist nor was he representing Fox News in that role."

Assad, a physician, compared the war in his country to a surgeon extracting a "bad member that could kill a patient." He said violence was necessary to protect his country from terrorist attacks.

"We are defending our country," he said.

Assad told Kucinich he has never spoken to President Barack Obama. When Kucinich asked what message he'd like to send Obama, Assad replied: "Follow the common sense of your people. That's enough."

The Syrian government posted videos of the interview on its YouTube channel: