US Syria envoy warns trust in new Syrian regime is fractured due to internal clashes - Jerusalem Post Staff

 

by Jerusalem Post Staff

“Syria stands at a critical juncture - peace and dialogue must prevail - and prevail now,” US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said.

 

US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, July 7, 2025.

(photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

 

US President Donald Trump’s lifting of sanctions on Syria and the international community’s cautious support of the new regime are at risk due to Syria’s current conflict, which has undermined the government’s authority, US Ambassador Tom Barrack said.

“Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a principled step, offering the Syrian people a chance to move beyond years of unimaginable suffering and atrocities,” the ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria wrote on X/Twitter on Sunday. “The international community has largely rallied behind the nascent Syrian government, watching with cautious optimism as it seeks to transition from a legacy of pain to a future of hope.”

President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a principled step, offering the Syrian people a chance to move beyond years of unimaginable suffering and atrocities. The international community has largely rallied behind the nascent Syrian government, watching with cautious…

— Ambassador Tom Barrack (@USAMBTurkiye) July 20, 2025

He said Syria’s fragile ambition is now overshadowed by profound shock, “as brutal acts by warring factions on the ground undermine the government’s authority and disrupt any semblance of order.”

He called on all factions to immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and “abandon cycles of tribal vengeance.”

“Syria stands at a critical juncture – peace and dialogue must prevail – and prevail now,” he said.

Internal Security Forces officers escort a Druze prisoner and prevent him from being attacked by Bedouins, at an Internal Security Forces checkpoint working to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida, following renewed fighting between Bedouin and Druze, Sweida, Syria, July 19, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/KHALIL ASHAWI)

On Saturday, Barrack met with the general commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, to discuss the situation in Syria and stressed the urgent need to restore calm and stability, according to the US Embassy in Syria.

They also discussed steps toward integration into a unified Syria and agreed that the time for unity is now.

Truce agreed to in Syria after five days of clashes

On Friday, the ambassador announced that a truce had been agreed to in Syria after five days of clashes between Bedouin tribesmen and the Druze, in which Israel had intervened and bombed Damascus.

The Syrian government also tried to intervene to prevent the clashes, but Israel demanded that the government leave the area, accusing it of having been involved in oppressing the Druze.

Barrack said he was grateful to Jordan for playing a leadership role in the region to help support the ceasefire. “We are making positive steps to support a unified, stable Syria at peace with its neighbors, including our Jordanian allies.”

Barrack said that Israel’s prime minister and the president of Syria had agreed to the truce.

Seth J. Frantzman contributed to this report.

Jerusalem Post Staff

Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-861558

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