WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden said Sunday that the is a 鈥渇undamental act of justice鈥� after decades of repression, but it was 鈥渁 moment of risk and uncertainty鈥� for the Mideast.
Biden spoke at the White House hours after after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country after more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by Assad and his family. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East.
Biden credited action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria's backers 鈥� Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said 鈥渇or the first time鈥� that they could no longer defend Assad's grip on power.
鈥淥ur approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East," Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team at the White House.
Trump said Sunday that Assad had fled his country, which , because close ally the Russian president, 鈥渨as not interested in protecting him any longer.鈥�
Those comments on Trump's social media platform came a day after he used another post to in Syria to aid the rebels, declaring, 鈥淭HIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT." The Biden administration had no intention of intervening, according to Biden's national security adviser.
The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Biden said he intended those for troops to remain, adding that U.S. forces on Sunday conducted 鈥渄ozens鈥� of what he called 鈥減recision air strikes" on IS camps and operations in Syria.
The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by . The Biden administration has designated the group as a terrorist organization and says it has links to al-Qaida, although Hayat Tahrir al-Sham says it has since broken ties with al-Qaida.
鈥淲e will remain vigilant,鈥� Biden said. 鈥淢ake no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.鈥� He added that the groups are 鈥渟aying the right things now.鈥�
鈥淏ut as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,鈥� Biden said.
Assad's adds to an already tense situation throughout much of region on many fronts, including Israel's and its fragile in Lebanon.
Trump, who takes office Jan. 20, 2025, made a connection between the upheaval in Syria and , noting that Assad's allies in Moscow, as well as in Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah, 鈥渁re in a weakened state right now.鈥�
Vice President-elect , a veteran of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, wrote on own social media Sunday to express skepticism about the insurgents.
鈥淢any of 鈥榯he rebels鈥� are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they鈥檝e moderated. Time will tell,鈥� he said, using another acronym for IS.
Trump has suggested that Assad's ouster can advance the prospects for an end to fighting in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022.
Trump wrote that Putin's government 鈥渓ost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine鈥� and the Republican called for an immediate cease-fire, a day after meeting .
Daniel B. Shapiro, a deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the American military presence will continue in eastern Syria but was 鈥渟olely to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and has nothing to do with other aspects of this conflict.鈥�
鈥淲e call on all parties in Syria to protect civilians, particularly those from Syria鈥檚 minority communities to respect international military norms and to work to achieve a resolution to include the political settlement,鈥� Shapiro said.
鈥淢ultiple actors in this conflict have a terrible track record to include Assad鈥檚 horrific crimes, Russia鈥檚 indiscriminate aerial bomb bombardment, Iranian-back militia involvement and the atrocities of ISIS," he added.
Shapiro, however, was careful not to directly say Assad had been deposed by the insurgents.
鈥淚f confirmed, no one should shed any tears over the Assad regime,鈥� he said.
As they pushed toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, the opposition freed political detainees from government prisons. The family of missing U.S. journalist renewed calls to find him.
鈥淭o everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we鈥檙e waiting for Austin,鈥� Tice鈥檚 mother, Debra, said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media. "We know that when he comes out, he鈥檚 going to be fairly dazed & he鈥檚 going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!鈥�
Tice disappeared in 2012 outside Damascus, amid intensification of what became a civil war stretching more than a decade.
We鈥檝e remained committed to returning him to his family,鈥� Biden said at the White House. "We believe he鈥檚 alive, we think we can get him back but we have no direct evidence to that yet. And Assad should be held accountable.鈥�
The president added: 鈥淲e have to identify where he is."
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Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Manama, Bahrain, and AP White House Correspondent Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
Will Weissert, The Associated Press
