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The Biden administration is relying on Turkey to convey messages to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which toppled Bashar al-Assad but is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.
- Dec. 9, 2024, 4:18 p.m. ET
The Biden administration is scrambling to find ways to engage with groups in Syria and around the Middle East as victorious militias begin shaping the nation’s future after the toppling of President Bashar al-Assad, the longtime autocrat.
The informal diplomacy during this risky period has to take place through channels outside Syria because the United States closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012 and has no known diplomatic personnel there. The State Department maintains a Syria office in its mission in Turkey, whose government has built close ties to various Syrian militias, including the most powerful one, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
Facing a new 11th-hour Middle East crisis before leaving power, the Biden administration hopes to keep the lid on a Pandora’s box of threats that could emerge from a post-Assad Syria. Among them are a resurgence of anti-American terrorists, new dangers for neighboring Israel and a spasm of violence that could drive more refugees from the country.
U.S. officials have been speaking to their counterparts in Turkey in recent days. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken talked with Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkey and a former intelligence chief, on Saturday as the militias were moving quickly toward Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Mr. Blinken “emphasized the importance of protecting civilians, including members of minority groups, across Syria,” according to a State Department summary of the call.
It was clear Mr. Blinken intended for Mr. Fidan to convey that message to the militias.
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