US holds first official talks with Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham representatives
![Syrians wave the independence-era flag after midday prayers at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus on December 20, 2024.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/ed0aeca4-bee4-11ef-998b-005056a97e36/w:1280/p:16x9/m:{"brand":"FRANCE24","lang":"EN","program":"","cartouche":"SYRIA","hash":"8d56e5c8f2e650c4a6669d7c1af5a88a2f8e51f5717bf396e8213622ecca2033","title":"First%20official%20talks%250Awith%20US","id":"25aba80c-45fb-11ec-90e2-005056bf30b7"}/5d7aac298a4e90bed0ff8ef4a9e893852e601bbb.webp)
A delegation of US diplomats on December 20 met with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, marking the first in-person official meeting between the US and Syria's new de facto rulers amid uncertainties over the county's political future following Bashar al-Assad's ouster.