Biden calls Assad’s fall “moment of historic opportunity”

Washington — President Biden on Sunday called the fall of Syrian leader Bashar Assad a “moment of historic opportunity,” and he pledged to support the country and its neighbors against any threats.

“At long last, the Assad regime has fallen,” Mr. Biden said at the White House, hours after opposition forces entered Damascus and took control of the country.

Mr. Biden pledged to work alongside partners and stakeholders in Syria to “help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk.” The president also said he’ll send senior officials to the region, help to ensure stability and protect U.S. personnel and will engage with Syrian groups to “establish a transition away from the Assad regime” and toward an independent and sovereign Syria. 

Mr. Biden says the administration is “clear eyed” about the possibility that ISIS may try to gain control amid a power vacuum, but he said that “we will not let that happen.” He noted that the U.S. conducted precision airstrikes within Syria targeting ISIS camps and operatives. 

“Some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human right abuses,” the president said, adding that the U.S. would assess their actions going forward. 

He called on opposition groups to “seek a role in governing Syria” and demonstrate their commitment to Syria’s people, the rule of law and protection of minorities. 

The president credited his administration’s work in other foreign conflicts with contributing to the collapse of Assad’s government, arguing support for Assad from Iran, Hezbollah and Russia fell apart “because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office.”

Mr. Biden said Iran had made a “historic mistake” when it “chose to launch a multi-front war against Israel” following the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. He said Hezbollah has been “badly degraded,” as has Hamas, while Iran’s military capabilities have been “weakened.” The dynamics, the president said, made it “impossible” for Hezbollah and Iran to continue to prop up the Assad regime. 

The president said Russia’s support for Assad fell short because Ukraine has been able to inflict “massive damage” on Russian forces recently . 

“The upshot for all this is, for the first time ever, neither Russia nor Iran nor Hezbollah could defend this abhorrent regime in Syria,” Mr. Biden said, calling it a “direct result” of Ukraine and Israel’s self defense with the “unflagging support” of the U.S.

“Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East,” the president added. 

Austin Tice

Mr. Biden told reporters the U.S. “is mindful that there are Americans in Syria, including those who reside there, as well as Austin Tice, who was taken captive more than 12 years ago.” 

“We remain committed to returning him to his family,” the president said of Tice, a Marine veteran and journalist who worked with several news organizations, including CBS News, the Washington Post and McClatchy, and disappeared on Aug. 14, 2012, while he was reporting on the Syrian civil war. As Mr. Biden left the room, he ignored questions shouted at him until a reporter asked, “What does the U.S. know about where Austen Tice might be and if he’s safe?”

“We believe he’s alive, and we think we can get him back, but we have no direct evidence of that yet,” Mr. Biden said. He told reporters, “We have to identify where he is.

Trump response to Syria

Mr. Biden’s remarks come as president-elect Donald Trump urged the U.S. not to get involved, saying in a post on social media Saturday that “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.”

“THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” the president-elect said.

But Mr. Biden cautiously cited the opportunity created by the regime’s fall. 

“This is a moment of considerable risk and uncertainty,” the president said. “But I also believe this is the best opportunity in generations for Syrians to forge their own future — free of opposition.”