According to the US embassy, “security concerns” have forced the cancellation of a press conference that was scheduled to take place after a meeting with Syria’s new leadership.
Although officials later confirmed that discussions were held with members from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and that a briefing would instead take place virtually later on Friday, they did not specify what the concerns were.
The US military said shortly after that it had killed an IS leader in an airstrike in Syria.
After HTS, which Washington continues to label a terrorist organization, toppled the Bashar al-Assad government less than two weeks ago, the US delegation arrived in the capital, Damascus.
The diplomats talked about “transition,” according to a State Department spokesperson.
