US diplomats make first visit to post-Assad Syria

Diplomats from the US State Department have arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus to meet the new interim government formed by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, a group Washington designates as a terrorist organisation. This is the first visit by US officials to Syria since rebel groups deposed Bashar Al Assad earlier this month, signalling Washington’s readiness to engage with HTS, an offshoot of Al Qaeda that later renounced ties with the terrorist group.