Tom Barrack makes first Syria visit, raises US flag over ambassador's residence
Barrack's visit marks the most senior for the Trump administration since taking office. The envoy said the US is planning to remove Syria from the State Sponsor of Terrorism listing, and floated a "non-aggression agreement" with Israel.
BEIRUT — New US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack made an unannounced visit to Damascus on Thursday and raised the American flag over the ambassador’s residence for the first time in 13 years, since the closure of the US Embassy.
Barrack, on his first such visit to Syria since taking the envoy position this month, attended the flag-raising ceremony alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Syria’s state news agency reported.
While the embassy itself remains officially closed, the move marks a significant development in the growing relations between the new Syrian government and Washington.
The US flag flies in Damascus again.
Special envoy Thomas Barrack raised it at the U.S. residency alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. pic.twitter.com/gIvDWeBpDl
