The new US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, attended a flag-raising ceremony to inaugurate the US ambassador’s residence in Damascus yesterday. The ceremony was important because it shows how the US and Syria are quickly working to improve relations after more than a decade in which there was no US ambassador in Damascus.
Since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, relations between Syria and the US became frayed and basically ended in 2012. Now, a new era is dawning as the Trump administration makes overtures to the leadership in Damascus.
All of this has happened quickly in six months since the Assad regime fell. US President Donald Trump met Syria’s new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh and then appointed Barrack to be the new envoy to Syria.
Barrack is the US ambassador to Turkey. He traveled to Riyadh and Jordan this week and then went to Damascus.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad al-Shaibani, and US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack inaugurated Thursday the US ambassador’s residence in Damascus,” Syria’s state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. “Minister al-Shaibani attended the ceremony as Mr. Barrack raised the US flag at the residence.”
The flag-raising is one of the many important changes taking place in Syria.
On Thursday, images posted online showed the Syrian authorities had intercepted a shipment of Grad rockets that may have been sent by Iran and destined for Hezbollah in Lebanon. It is one of many similar weapons shipments and smuggling attempts that the new Syrian government has prevented.
This prevention of smuggling is important for the region. It also means that Hezbollah cannot threaten Syria or Israel. In the past, Hezbollah backed the Assad regime and sent forces to Syria.
Israel and Syria still maintain tense relations
Even though the new Syrian government and Israel likely share interests in opposing Hezbollah, there has been tension between the two countries since the fall of Assad.
Israel carried out numerous bombing raids in Syria, claiming to be striking various threats. Some of the strikes hit military assets of the old regime that had been left around.
Israeli political leaders, however, also bashed Sharaa and accused him of being an extremist. In the wake of Trump’s meeting with Sharaa, it appears Jerusalem has changed its tone and modified its approach.
Also, Israel and Turkey appear to be de-conflicting in Syria. The presence of a US envoy in Syria, and also visits by US members of Congress, make it more sensitive for Israel to be bombing a country that the US wants to help stabilize.
It is one of several examples in which Israel’s political leadership diverges from the policies of the US administration. Israeli leaders made empty threats against Sharaa without first trying to reach out to Damascus and see if the countries could open a new page in ties.
The US has moved forward with those ties, leaving Israel to decide if it wants to change and embrace peaceful outreach to the new Damascus government.
So far, it appears that rumors of contacts between Israel and Syria continue to be downplayed.
“The head of internal security in Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria, Ahmad al-Dalati, denied on Tuesday any involvement in direct negotiations with Israeli officials,” North Press Agency, a Syrian news agency that is usually linked to eastern Syria, reported.
“His statement came in response to a report earlier by Reuters, which cited informed security sources claiming that al-Dalati had recently led direct meetings between Syrian and Israeli representatives,” the report said.
In an interview with Al Ekhbariya, an Arabic news channel, Dalati said: “I categorically deny participating in any direct negotiation sessions with the Israeli side. These claims are completely unfounded and lack both accuracy and credibility. The Syrian position is clear and unwavering... [it] remains committed to taking all necessary measures to protect the Syrian people and to defend the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”