US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from an inclusive and transparent transition process. The announcement comes amid growing tensions in the region, including ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified at his corruption trial on Tuesday, becoming the country’s first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant. Meanwhile, the leader of HTS, the rebel group that led the charge against President Bashar al-Assad, vowed to “hold accountable” members of Assad’s regime involved in torturing the Syrian people.
A transitional government in Syria will be led by Mohammed al-Bashir until March 1, according to reports. The US Central Command chief, Gen. Michael E. Kurilla, visited troops in Syria and Iraq on Tuesday, meeting with local partners in the fight against Islamic State remnants.
Separately, World Central Kitchen fired 62 Palestinian workers due to security concerns, following an Israeli airstrike that killed seven employees earlier this year. Clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in Jenin’s West Bank have resulted in a 19-year-old’s death, according to hospital officials.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby refused to comment on intelligence suggesting freelance American journalist Austin Tice might still be alive more than a decade after his abduction in Syria.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/12/10/syria-war-news-israel-hamas-gaza-lebanon