NEWSRAEL: U.S. envoy Tom Barak tells us that the Trump administration is willing to shame itself by covering for the new regime in Damascus. This is NOT a good sign.
U.S. Ambassador to Syria, Thomas Barak, rejected reports that Syrian security forces were behind last week’s violence against Druze civilians in Sweida, in the country’s southwest.
In an interview with Reuters in Beirut, Barak suggested that ISIS gunmen may have disguised themselves as regime soldiers by wearing military uniforms. He added that videos circulating on social media are easily manipulated and unreliable. “Syrian forces did not enter the city,” Barak said. “The atrocities that occurred were not committed by regime troops. They weren’t even present, due to an agreement with Israel to stay out.”
On Syrian-Israeli relations, Barak said his message to Israel is to maintain dialogue to ease concerns about Syria’s new leadership. He stated the U.S. can serve as an “honest broker” and help resolve issues. According to Barak, Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara (al-Julani) has already signaled that Israel is not an enemy and that “when the time comes, normalization is possible.”