US Diplomats Meet HTS Leader Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus After Assad's Fall

Dec 20, 2024, 10:37 AM

Senior US diplomats, including Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf, Ambassador Roger Carstens, and NEA Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, have arrived in Damascus to meet with Syria's new leadership following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. This marks the first official US diplomatic visit to Syria in over a decade. The delegation met with Ahmad al-Sharaa, leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist group now governing the country after leading the offensive that toppled Assad’s regime. The meeting marks the first official contact between the US and HTS, which was formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda. Discussions focused on principles of political transition, security concerns, potential lifting of US sanctions, and the fate of missing Americans in Syria, including journalist Austin Tice. The US delegation is also engaging directly with the Syrian people. The meeting was described as productive by US officials.