MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
President Biden said Sunday the U.S. is prepared to work with Syrians as they try to create a new government.
LEILA FADEL, HOST:
Yeah, President-elect Trump is sounding a different note.
MARTIN: To hear more on this, NPR's Greg Myre is with us. Good morning, Greg.
GREG MYRE, BYLINE: Hi, Michel.
MARTIN: First, the U.S. carried out numerous airstrikes in Syria. What can you tell us about that?
MYRE: Yeah, this was really big, Michel. The U.S. military carried out this very large airstrike on Islamic State bases in central Syria. The U.S. says this was done because a sizable group of Islamic State fighters gathered to train, perhaps hoping to take advantage of the turmoil in Syria. So the U.S. says it hit some 75 targets. The U.S. forces entered Syria to fight the Islamic State a decade ago and defeated the group. About 900 U.S. troops remain in the country to prevent a resurgence. Now, President Biden said the U.S. would maintain this presence in Syria. He called Bashar al-Assad's ouster both a moment of risk and opportunity and said the U.S. will work with Syrians as they try to put together a new government.
MARTIN: But what about Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS? That is the group that is now believed to be in power in Syria. They're still designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., aren't they?
MYRE: That's right. This group, HTS, has been on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations for more than a decade. That means the U.S. can't work with them directly right now. But the group is sounding more moderate, and they say they will work with all other Syrians. Now, Biden says the group is saying the right thing, but the U.S. will be closely watching their actions.
MARTIN: So that's what President Biden is saying. President-elect Trump is striking a different tone. Tell us more about that. And what should we expect from him?
MYRE: Yeah, Trump was on social media over the weekend. He said Syria is not a U.S. problem. The U.S. shouldn't get involved, should just let it play out. But that may be easier said than done because, as we've noted, the U.S. is already pretty deeply involved. And the U.S. troops there are not just fighting the Islamic State. They're also protecting civilians. Mouaz Moustafa is with the Syrian Emergency Task Force, an American aid group. He spoke about these displaced civilians in a barren area on Syria's southern border. He says they depend heavily on the U.S. military and have developed very close ties.
MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: If you spoke to any of these people and you asked them about the United States military, and you asked them about the relationship between the two, those Syrians love the American military.
MARTIN: So Iran and Russia were both big backers of Bashar al-Assad. What does this mean for them?
MYRE: Well, this was really the latest in a series of major setbacks for both of them, and Iran in particular. Iran had close relations with Assad. It used Syria as a bridge to ship its weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon. But now Assad is gone. Hezbollah has been devastated by its war with Israel. The same is true for another Iranian proxy, Hamas in Gaza. I spoke with Gonul Tol with the Middle East Institute in Washington and asked her where this leaves Iran.
GONUL TOL: Losing Syria will deal a huge blow to Iran and its proxies in the region. And that's why I think right now the leaders in Tehran must be feeling quite anxious.
MARTIN: And what about Russia?
MYRE: A huge loss for Russia as well. This was Russia's main partner in the region for decades, but Russia was preoccupied with the war in Ukraine. It carried out a few strikes in recent days. Clearly, it was not able or willing to provide significant support.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Greg Myre. Greg, thank you.
MYRE: Sure thing. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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