Blinken publicly confirms that US officials have been in direct contact with the rebel group in Syria that ousted Assad.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that US officials were in direct contact with the rebel group in Syria that led the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad government but has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States and others.

Blinken is the first US official to publicly confirm links between the Biden administration and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which led the coalition of armed opposition groups. ousted Assad from power last sunday.

Speaking at a press conference in Aqaba, Jordan, Blinken would not talk about the details of those contacted but said it is important for the US to convey messages to the group about its behavior and how it intends to govern in the transitional period.

“Yes, we have had contact with HTS and other groups,” said Blinken. He added that “our message to the Syrian people is: We want them to succeed and we are willing to help them do so.”

Blinken also said officials “are also in direct contact with those in positions of authority in Syria.”

HTS, formerly al-Qaida, has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department since 2018. That position carries severe penalties, including a ban on providing any “essential support” to the group. or its members. However, the sanctions do not legally prevent US officials from contacting designated groups.

In an interview on Saturday on Syrian television, the group's leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, did not mention any direct contact with the United States, but said the new authorities in Damascusthe capital, they communicated with Western diplomats.

HTS has worked to establish security and initiate political change after capturing Damascus and try to reassure a public stunned by the fall of Assad and worried about the brutal jihadis among the rebels. The leaders of the rebels say that the group has separated from its extremists.

Al-Sharaa appeared in a video message on Friday congratulating “the great people of Syria on the victory of the blessed revolution.”

US officials say al-Sharaa has been vocal about protecting the rights of minorities and women, but they doubt he will follow through on them in the long run.

“We know that what happens inside Syria can have powerful consequences beyond its borders, from mass displacement to terrorism, and we know that we cannot take the challenges of this moment and the weeks and months ahead lightly,” Blinken said on Saturday. .

On Friday, rebels and unarmed Syrian opposition groups worked safely to hand over to US officials an American man who had been imprisoned by Assad.

Blinken said US officials are continuing “our strong, determined efforts” as they want Austin Ticean American journalist who disappeared 12 years ago near Damascus.

“We have impressed upon everyone we have come in contact with the importance of helping to find Austin Tice and bring him home,” said Blinken.

Travis Timmerman, American who said he had been released from a Syrian prison after Assad was ousted, he was taken out of the country by the US military, CBS News was reported earlier this week.