The US Embassy in Damascus – which suspended operations in 2012 – said in a message to X on Monday that “the security situation in Syria continues to be volatile and unpredictable with armed conflict and terrorism throughout the country.”
U.S. citizens, he said, “should leave Syria if possible. U.S. citizens who cannot leave should prepare contingency plans for emergencies and be prepared to shelter in place for extended periods “.
Rebel fighters attend a student rally near the campus of Damascus University in the Syrian capital on December 15, 2024.
Omar Haj Kadour/AFP via Getty Images
U.S. officials have said they are in contact with key rebel groups currently building a transitional government after the overthrow of former President Bashar Assad’s regime, but the final shape of U.S.-Syrian relations remains unclear.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – the largest rebel group – has roots in Al-Qaeda and is still listed as a terrorist organization in the United States and the European Union. Its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, is still the subject of an American bounty of 10 million dollars.
The U.S. government “is unable to provide routine or emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Syria,” the embassy said. “US citizens in Syria who need emergency assistance to leave should contact the US embassy of the country they plan to enter.”
The embassy urged Syrian citizens to be “prepared to shelter in place if the situation deteriorates” and to ensure access to all required travel documents.
