US confirms direct contact with Syria’s HTS rebels

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the US made direct contact with Syria's victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels.

Western and Arab nations, along with Türkiye, expressed support for a unified and peaceful Syria, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

This remark by the US Secretary of State comes despite Washington having designated HTS as a terrorist organisation in 2018. Blinken, along with other diplomats, held discussions on Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, on December 14.

"We’ve been in contact with HTS and with other parties," Blinken remarked, without providing specifics on the nature of the contact.

In a significant move, Türkiye declared it had reopened its embassy in Damascus, nearly a week after the Islamist-led rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime and 12 years after the Turkish diplomatic mission was shut down during the early stages of Syria’s civil war. Türkiye has played a key role in Syria’s conflict, exerting considerable influence in the northwest, financing armed groups, and maintaining a working relationship with HTS, which led the offensive that overthrew Assad. 

In a joint statement following their meeting in Jordan, diplomats from the US, Türkiye, the EU, and Arab countries affirmed full support for the Syrian people at this critical juncture in their history, aiming to build a more hopeful, secure, and peaceful future. They called for a Syrian-led transition to produce an inclusive, non-sectarian, and representative government formed through a transparent process, while respecting human rights. 

“Syria finally has the opportunity to end decades of isolation,” the group stated.

On December 8, Bashar al-Assad resigned from the presidency and left Syria. This occurred after armed opposition groups and fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham entered Damascus and seized the presidential palace. 

Presently, Assad and his family are in Moscow. On December 9, press secretary for the Russian president Dmitry Peskov commented on the situation regarding asylum for Assad and his family in Russia. He emphasised that such decisions are made personally by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

By Naila Huseynova