The U.S. Embassy in Damascus — which suspended operations in 2012 — mentioned in a Monday submit to X that the “safety scenario in Syria continues to be risky and unpredictable with armed battle and terrorism all through the nation.”
U.S. residents, it mentioned, “ought to depart Syria if attainable. U.S. residents who’re unable to depart ought to put together contingency plans for emergency conditions and be ready to shelter in place for prolonged durations.”
Insurgent fighters look on as college students rally close to the campus of the Damascus College within the Syrian capital on Dec. 15, 2024.
Omar Haj Kadour/AFP by way of Getty Pictures
U.S. officers have mentioned they’re in contact with essentially the most distinguished insurgent teams now constructing a transition authorities after toppling former president Bashar Assad’s regime, however the eventual form of U.S.-Syrian relations stays unclear.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — essentially the most distinguished of the insurgent groupings — has roots in al-Qaeda and continues to be listed as a terrorist group within the U.S. and European Union. Its chief, Ahmed al-Sharaa, higher identified by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, continues to be the topic of a $10 million U.S. bounty.
The U.S. authorities “is unable to offer any routine or emergency consular companies to U.S. residents in Syria,” the embassy mentioned. “U.S. residents in Syria who’re in want of emergency help to depart ought to contact the U.S. Embassy within the nation they plan to enter.”
The embassy urged residents in Syria to be “ready to shelter in place ought to the scenario deteriorate” and to make sure entry to all required journey paperwork.
