US Diplomats Arrive in Damascus to Meet New Syria Rulers

It is the first formal US diplomatic mission to Damascus since the early days of the crisis in 2011 and after the fall of the former President Bashar Assad's government.

The diplomats will meet representatives of victorious group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – which is designated a terrorist group by Washington – as well as activists, civil society and members of minority groups, the state department said on Friday, according to Western media.

The delegation includes Barbara Leaf, who is the top state department official for the Middle East, and Daniel Rubinstein, a veteran US diplomat in the Arab world who is being put in charge of engagement on Syria,  a state department spokesperson said.

The trip comes a week after secretary of state Antony Blinken said the US had been in direct contact with HTS as he toured Syria’s neighbours.