The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to proceed with planning for a potential reopening of the US Embassy in Damascus, Syria, which has been shuttered since 2012 during the country's civil war.
A notice to congressional committees earlier this month, obtained by The Associated Press, told lawmakers of the State Department's “intent to implement a phased approach to potentially resume embassy operations in Syria.” The February 10 notification said spending on the plans would begin within 15 days, though it offered no timeline for completion or for the full-time return of US personnel to Damascus.
The administration has been considering reopening the embassy since shortly after Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024. It has been a priority for Tom Barrack, the US envoy for Syria, who has pushed for deeper rapprochement with the new leadership under Ahmad al-Sharaa. Barrack visited Damascus in May, raised the US flag at the embassy compound, and on the same day as the congressional notification praised Syria's participation in the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.
The embassy reopening plans are classified, and the State Department declined to comment on details beyond confirming the notification. The department has taken a similar “phased” approach in plans to reopen the US Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following the ousting of Nicolás Maduro in January, with temporary staffers operating from interim facilities.
