Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to make his 12th visit to the Middle East this week, marking his first trip since the recent removal of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The ongoing upheaval in Syria raises fresh concerns about instability in a region already grappling with multiple conflicts, despite a recent ceasefire in Lebanon.
Blinken will be in Jordan and Turkey on Thursday and Friday, with discussions mainly centered on the situation in Syria. However, he is also expected to address the prolonged conflict in Gaza, which has brought tremendous suffering to the Palestinian population since October 2023.
On Thursday, Blinken will meet with officials from Jordan, including King Abdullah II, in Aqaba before heading to Ankara for talks with Turkish leaders on Friday. The possibility of additional meetings in the region has been mentioned by officials.
His departure comes after an intense congressional hearing where Blinken faced tough questioning from Republican lawmakers regarding the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
As the Biden administration enters its final weeks, various officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, have visited the Middle East to address ongoing instability. President-elect Donald Trump has indicated a desire for the U.S. to refrain from involvement in the Syrian crisis. Reports indicate that the U.S. military has conducted airstrikes and maintained troops in Syria to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State amid the chaos.
During his visit, Blinken will emphasize U.S. backing for a Syrian-led transition towards a government that embodies accountability and representation, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. Miller also highlighted the necessity for this transition to safeguard minority rights, ensure the flow of humanitarian aid, and prevent Syria from being used as a terrorist base or posing threats to neighboring countries. Additionally, the secure destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles is a priority.
On Tuesday, Blinken expressed the U.S.’s readiness to acknowledge and support a new Syrian government that fulfills these requirements. Although U.S. officials are not actively reviewing the foreign terrorist organization designation of the main Syrian rebel group, they indicated openness to dialogues with members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which previously had ties to al-Qaida.
After speaking with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, and the UAE, Blinken reiterated the urgency of establishing a ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate the release of hostages taken by Hamas and to pave the way for future governance and reconstruction plans in the region.
Blinken’s upcoming trip follows Assad’s flight to Russia over the weekend. Meanwhile, Sullivan is currently in Israel, with plans to visit Egypt and Qatar soon. U.S. military leader Army Gen. Erik Kurilla visited troops in Syria on Tuesday and led discussions with leaders in Iraq, touching down in Lebanon on Wednesday.
In other developments, Trump’s incoming national security adviser met with families of Americans kidnapped in Gaza, marking the first known direct engagement by a senior Trump advisor since the election, where Trump triumphed over Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.
Two senior State Department officials, John Bass and Barbara Leaf, have also been active in the region since the weekend. Trump has expressed a desire to see the conflicts resolve before he resumes office and has dispatched his Mideast envoy, Stephen Witkoff, to engage in the ongoing discussions.
