US officials in ‘direct contact’ with victorious Syrian rebels

The United States has established “direct contact” with the HTS rebels who now control Syria after the overthrow. the Assad regimesaid Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

It is the first acknowledgment of direct US interaction with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the US still considers a terrorist organization.

Blinken told reporters that the United States has been in contact, particularly over the fate of missing American journalist Austin Tice.

Blinken spoke in Jordan after speaking with representatives of several Arab countries, Türkiye and Europe to discuss the future of Syria.

Officials agreed to support a peaceful transition process in the country, and Jordan’s Foreign Minister said regional powers did not want to see it “descend into chaos.”

A joint statement called for an inclusive Syrian government that respects the rights of minorities and does not provide a base for “terrorist groups.”

Both inside and outside Syria, following the tumultuous events of recent weeks, there has been talk of the vital importance of establishing a new government that represents all Syrians.

HTS was not present at the meeting in Jordan.

There, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein expressed concern about Syria’s shared future across the Middle East and beyond.

He said regional actors did not want to see another Libya, referring to the chaos that ensued after Colonel Gaddafi was removed from power.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said existing Syrian institutions must be preserved and reformed.

“Let us never allow terrorism to take advantage of the transition period. And we have to coordinate our efforts and learn from the mistakes of the past,” Fidan was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, Israel has launched dozens more airstrikes against Syria, according to a war observer, despite regional condemnation.

Israel has said previously was taking steps to “destroy strategic capabilities” that threaten it.

The UN Secretary-General has said he is “particularly concerned” by hundreds of Israeli airstrikes in several locations in Syria.

HTS, Syria’s most powerful rebel group, was created under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusrain 2011 as a direct affiliate of Al Qaeda. It was considered one of the most effective and deadly groups opposing President Assad.

It was banned as a terrorist group by the UN, the United States, Türkiye and other countries, and remains so today.

Its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who previously used the name Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016. He has recently pledged tolerance toward different religious groups and communities.

But the group’s violent jihadist past has left some doubting whether it will deliver on such promises.

No Syrian representative was present at the talks in Jordan. Foreign ministers from eight Arab countries who attended the meeting said they wanted to ensure that Syria was unified and not divided along sectarian lines.

Also absent were the two countries that provided financial support to Assad and allowed him to survive in power for so long: Iran and Russia.

Assad’s fall followed a 13-year civil war, which began after he crushed pro-democracy protests. The fighting killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, and entangled international powers and their proxies.

The shadow of all the external forces that fought for Syria for so long hangs over its future.

Syria’s next leaders will need cohesion not only inside the country but also outside, if the Syrian people are to have any real hope of taking advantage of the freedom they experienced last week.