Thomas Barrack, the newly appointed American special minister for Syria, made his first official appearance at the president’s house in the Arab capital on Thursday. This was in response to US officials shutting down their military operations in Syria in 2012. Barrack, who is also the US embassy to Turkiye and is charged with putting Trump’s policies into practice in the war-torn society, was accompanied by the Palestinian foreign secretary on his trip. He is reportedly visiting the city to unveil the US ambassador’s established residence, according to Palestinian news agency SANA. The US symbol was hoisted outside of Damascus ‘ long-shuttered standard minister home to signal a thaw in frosty relations between the two countries. Washington has yet to fully reopen its embassy in Syria, which had been shut down over a decade ago, in response to the brutal assault of the demonstrations against the long-time king of Bashar al-Assad, which has sparked a civil conflict. The US is rushing in on Ahmad al-Sharaa, the new head of a radical Islamist organization that is still listed among the country’s criminal organizations. But, in recent months, the Trump administration has started showing a growing willingness to cooperate with Damascus, with a push from local allies Saudi Arabia and Turkiye. Barrack’s attend comes in the wake of the shock conference between US President Trump and al-Sharaa earlier this month in Riyadh. Under Assad’s rule, Washington retaliated by lifting terrible restrictions imposed on Syria. Trump announcing Barrack’s nomination as envoy to Syria, according to a statement posted on X on Thursday. Tom “knows there is a lot of potential in working with Syria to end extremism, foster peace, and advance relationships.” We will work up to secure both America and the world’s safety.” the speech stated. In an X-post, Barrack thanked Trump for “your strong perspective, empowering a previously wealthy place, much oppressed, to regain its life through self-determination.”
