(Bloomberg) -- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US has received positive signs from the rebel group that swept Bashar al Assad from power in Syria and is considering sending American officials into the country to press for a smooth political transition.
“We’ve been in direct contact, and we’re also looking at getting people on the ground in Syria,” Blinken said Thursday in an interview on “Bloomberg Surveillance.” “We need to see concrete action, not simply positive declarations.”
Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, the Islamist rebel group that controls Syria after leading the offensive that toppled Assad, has signaled its intentions to oversee an inclusive government. But it remains designated a terrorist group by the US government, and Syria is also subject to sanctions that were imposed by the US and other governments during Assad’s rule.
The Biden administration has faced questions about the lack of an official presence on the ground in Damascus, particularly after several Western nations deployed delegations there in recent days.
“It’s important to have direct communication,” Blinken told Bloomberg’s David Gura. “It’s important to speak as clearly as possible, to listen, to make sure that we understand as best we can where they’re going and where they want to go. So we’ll be looking at pursuing that in the coming days.”
Blinken expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for a cease-fire deal in Gaza that secures the release of hostages held by Hamas and improves the humanitarian situation in the enclave. He suggested chances have improved for a cease-fire now that Iran and Hezbollah have been weakened.
“The reality is, we should logically be able to get this,” he said, conceding past false starts. “The fundamental question right now is, is Hamas finally prepared to say yes? And if it does, we get the hostages back. We get a cease-fire. We get an immediate, dramatic improvement in the lives of Palestinian children, women and men who have been caught in this horrible crossfire since October 7 of Hamas’s making.”
Blinken also played down concerns that members of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration are engaging in foreign policy before taking office. The outgoing and incoming national security teams are in “very close contact,” he said. Blinken has met his designated successor, Senator Marco Rubio, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan with his, Representative Mike Waltz.
“We’ve had not only good conversations, but we’re trying to make sure that we’re as coordinated as possible,” Blinken said.
“It’s also normal that countries around the world want to hear from the incoming administration,” he said. “They want to know what they can expect and so they can get ready for that.”
--With assistance from David Gura.
(Updates with more on Syria, Gaza, transition starting in third paragraph)
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