The U.S. State Department says it has “taken steps to secure the U.S. embassy” in Syria following the collapse of the Assad government. This comes after the toppling of more than 50 years of a dictatorship there, showing an uncertain way forward for any new government.
"The fall of the regime is a fundamental act of justice," President Joe Biden said Sunday, but warned that the significant change will also mark a period of uncertainty for Syria and the region.
"As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risks," President Biden said.
The Biden administration plans to lend its support to establishing a transitional government in Syria. The White House is in close communication with stakeholders in the region, including Jordan's King Abdullah. More conversations with leaders are expected in the days ahead.
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Other countries and groups have a shared interest in continued stability in Syria, but officials also acknowledged the power vacuum carries risks. White House officials told Scripps News the administration is focused on preventing the ISIS terror group from taking advantage of the situation.
"One of the things that we're going to work hard to avoid is ISIS being able to exploit this situation and somehow try to revitalize," White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said in an interview. "That is a message that we are sending to all the opposition groups through various means that this is not the opportunity — should not be the time — for a closer relationship, or any relationship, quite frankly, with Isis."
"What we are backing is the Syrian people. And we want to make sure that again, through our interlocutors and through the United Nations, we're doing what we can to see legitimate governance there."
The conflict in Syria has spanned multiple administrations and is often considered a proxy for the goals of other international actors, including Russia.
Officials pointed in part to President Biden's support of Israel and Ukraine as factors that weakened Iran and Russia's ability to support Assad — and one senior administrator official explained that Assad's departure "changed the equation" in the Middle East.
But Republican President-elect Donald Trump has indicated the U.S. relationship with Syria may change when he takes office.
"Syria is a mess, but is not our friend," Trump wrote on social media over the weekend. "The United States should have nothing to do with it. This is not our fight."
Kirby told Scripps News that for the remaining time the Biden Administration has to set U.S. foreign policy, it would continue its mission to suppress ISIS and support legitimate government in Syria.
