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9h ago

U.S. Envoy Raises Flag in Damascus for First Time Since 2012

Raising the flag marks the US decision to re-engage following sanctions relief designed to strengthen Syria's transitional government

Image
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani stands next to U.S. envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack as he raises the American flag at U.S. ambassador's residency in Damascus, Syria May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi
Tom Barrack during a hearing in Washington on April 1, 2025.
The United States' flag flutters at the US ambassador's residence in Damascus during a visit by US special envoy for Syria

Overview

  • On May 29, US Special Envoy Thomas Barrack raised the American flag over the ambassador’s residence in Damascus, marking the first display of the US flag in Syria’s capital since the embassy closed in February 2012.
  • Barrack, who also serves as US ambassador to Turkey, was named envoy to Syria on May 23 and is on his first official visit to the country.
  • The flag-raising follows President Donald Trump’s mid-May meeting with Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh and the administration’s decision to lift key sanctions.
  • Although the embassy in Damascus remains closed, reopening the ambassador’s residence signals a likely restoration of full diplomatic operations.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Syria’s transitional government risked collapse without US engagement, underscoring the stakes of the diplomatic revival.