Assad calls Morsi's fall 'good thing' for Egypt

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the toppling of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was a good thing for Egypt.

Assad said that the Muslim Brotherhood take advantage of religion and use it as a mask, adding that they consider standing against them politically as standing with God.

According to the Washington Times, Assad has faced down calls to leave office for more than two years, leaving Syria in a constant state of civil unrest.

He has blamed much of the rebel violence on the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, a branch of the same group that led Morsi's rise to power and is supporting his reinstatement, the report said.

Assad's statements mark the second time in recent days he publicly has praised the coup against Morsi.

Last Thursday, he applauded Egypt's overthrow as a certain end to "political Islam".