Washington Renews Rejection of ‘Normalization’ with Damascus

Barbara Leaf received the Syrian opposition delegation in Washington on Tuesday. (US State Department)
Barbara Leaf received the Syrian opposition delegation in Washington on Tuesday. (US State Department)
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Washington Renews Rejection of ‘Normalization’ with Damascus

Barbara Leaf received the Syrian opposition delegation in Washington on Tuesday. (US State Department)
Barbara Leaf received the Syrian opposition delegation in Washington on Tuesday. (US State Department)

The US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, stressed that no normalization would take place with the Syrian regime “in the absence of permanent political change."

The US State Department announced, in a tweet, that Leaf met with a delegation of the opposition Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and reaffirmed that the US policy towards Syria “has not changed.”

The Bureau of Near East Asian Affairs in the Department of State said after the meeting: “No normalization with the Assad regime in the absence of enduring political change and strong support for UNSCR 2254 including the role of the Syrian opposition.”

On the other hand, the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces announced that a delegation from the Negotiations Committee met with Leaf in Washington on Tuesday, adding that the head of the delegation underlined that “any political solution in Syria must be in accordance with Security Council resolutions… and that the absence of a political solution and the achievement of the transitional phase will increase the tragedy of the Syrian people.”

Meanwhile, a meeting on Tuesday that brought together the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye, Russia, Iran and Syria, was described by Ankara as fruitful.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that his country sought, through its participation in the Moscow meeting, to achieve peace and stability in the region as soon as possible.

Upon his return from Moscow, Akar noted that the Turkish side stressed during the meeting respect for the unity and sovereignty of the Syrian territories, adding that the sole purpose of the presence of the Turkish forces in northern Syria was to fight terrorist organizations, including the Kurdish People’s Protection Units.

Pro-government Syrian media had confirmed that the Syrian delegation to the Moscow meeting reiterated the call for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from northern Syria.



Gaza Suffering Has Reached ‘Unimaginable’ Levels, Say 26 Foreign Ministers

 Palestinians scramble to collect aid supplies from trucks that entered through Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians scramble to collect aid supplies from trucks that entered through Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 12, 2025. (Reuters)
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Gaza Suffering Has Reached ‘Unimaginable’ Levels, Say 26 Foreign Ministers

 Palestinians scramble to collect aid supplies from trucks that entered through Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 12, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians scramble to collect aid supplies from trucks that entered through Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, August 12, 2025. (Reuters)

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached "unimaginable levels", Britain, Canada, Australia and several of their European allies said on Tuesday, calling on Israel to allow unrestricted aid into the war-torn Palestinian enclave. 

"Famine is unfolding before our eyes. Urgent action is needed now to halt and reverse starvation," the foreign ministers of 24 countries said in a joint statement. 

"We call on the government of Israel to provide authorization for all international NGO (non-governmental organizations) aid shipments and to unblock essential humanitarian actors from operating," the statement said. 

"All crossings and routes must be used to allow a flood of aid into Gaza, including food, nutrition supplies, shelter, fuel, clean water, medicine and medical equipment." 

Israel has denied responsibility for hunger spreading in Gaza, accusing Hamas fighters of stealing aid shipments, which Hamas denies. However, in response to a rising international uproar, Israel late last month announced steps to let more aid into the enclave, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. 

Western capitals, however, say much more aid is needed and some countries have started airdrops with aid over Gaza. 

The statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Britain. 

The EU later on Tuesday sent an updated statement to include EU member states Italy and Latvia as signatories of the statement. 

The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and two other members of the European Commission also signed the statement. 

Some EU member countries, including Germany and Hungary, did not sign it.