President Joe Biden announced Sunday that U.S. forces had conducted dozens of airstrikes targeting Islamic State camps and operatives in Syria as his administration tries to stabilize the region following the extraordinary fall of deposed president Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Speaking from the Roosevelt Room, Biden warned that the rebel groups that toppled the autocrat had their own “grim record of terrorism” and said the United States was working with its partners to address concerns that extremist groups could capitalize on the power vacuum left by Assad.
“They’re saying the right things now. But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,” he said.
Biden’s message came a day after President-elect Donald Trump said the United States should not intervene in the stunning rebel takeover unfolding in Damascus.
“THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” he wrote on Truth Social during a trip to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame. “LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED.”
The dueling messages highlight how the president-elect is playing an unusually active role in foreign affairs during the transition between two administrations. With little more than a month left in his presidency, Biden is working to secure his own international legacy while Trump and his allies have begun laying the groundwork for his administration’s diplomatic efforts.
The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s lightning-fast capture of the Syrian capital carries cascading geopolitical implications. Syria’s years-long civil war has provided a proxy battleground for U.S. relations with Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Asaad’s dramatic departure will have sweeping implications amid the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Assad’s ouster has the potential to further destabilize the Middle East, as thousands have died in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Leaders around the world are anxiously preparing for Trump to return to the White House and overhaul Biden’s foreign policy agenda after he was reelected on an isolationist, “America First” platform.
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Trump’s picks for his administration will also shape the future of U.S. policy toward Syria. Sunday’s events could bring greater scrutiny of former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard’s 2017 meetings with Assad, as Trump puts her forward to serve as director of national intelligence.
Biden on Sunday sought to characterize Assad’s fall from power as the result of the actions his administration took to boost allies amid the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Russia, Iran and Hezbollah were unable to aid the Assad regime like they had in the past because they “are far more weaker today than they were when I took office,” he said.
U.S. government officials are cautiously watching the rise of the Syrian rebel group that ousted Assad, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, HTS, which has been designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government and has historic links to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.
Biden said he was sending officials from his administration to the region and offering assistance to Syria’s neighbors, including Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. He also promised humanitarian relief and announced his administration would coordinate with the United Nations to help the Syrian people build an independent and sovereign state.
On Sunday, Vice President-elect JD Vance echoed Trump’s call for the United States to not intervene in the conflict, but he appeared to share Biden’s concerns about the future of the region. He tweeted that he was “nervous” about calls on social media to celebrate Assad fleeing the country.
“Many of ‘the rebels’ are a literal offshoot of ISIS,” Vance wrote. “One can hope they’ve moderated. Time will tell.”
Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, who led the U.S. Central Command during Trump’s first term, said he was concerned that the Islamic State’s possible resurgence could have “profound negative implications” for the region. He added that Trump would have to take a “good hard look at” addressing Syria amid risks that it could become a foothold for extremist groups trying to plot attacks against the United States and its allies. He noted that 900 U.S. troops are present in Syria for counterterrorism efforts.
“As we know, ISIS launched a successful attack against Russia just a few months ago. That’s why those troops are there,” he said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.” “So any decision to bring them out, we need to weigh that going forward.”
Another former Trump official said he agreed with the president-elect that there is no role for U.S. troops in Syria.
“Donald Trump is always consistent,” Mark T. Esper, who was defense secretary for 16 months in the first Trump administration, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “If there’s one thing, that’s he did not want to get involved in war.”
For more than a decade, U.S. presidents have grappled with how to contain the brutal leadership of Assad without triggering a spiraling international conflict. The fall of the Assad regime fulfills a longtime U.S. foreign policy goal, after Russia and Iran supported Assad amid the Obama administration’s flailing efforts to oust the autocrat.
On Sunday, Trump pressured Assad’s chief international backer, Russia, to end its years-long war in Ukraine.
“Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He called for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and continued, “I know Vladimir well. This is his time to act. The World is waiting!”
The post also alluded to Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris, noting that Zelensky “would like to make a deal and stop the madness.”
McKenzie predicted there would be “a period of infighting” that would make the situation unpredictable, especially as HTS seeks recognition on the global stage.
“Russia will try to work their way back into their good graces. Iran will do the same. I think Israel will be concerned about the possibility of attacks across Golan,” McKenzie said. “It’s my understanding that the Israelis have probably moved some forces into a buffer area in southern Syria in order to protect themselves.”
Reported by Washington Post
