Trump administration informs Congress of its intention to reopen the US Embassy in Damascus soon
US President Donald Trump’s administration has informed Congress of its intention to plan to reopen the US embassy in Damascus, which was closed during the 2012 war.
The notice was given to congressional committees earlier this month, informing lawmakers of the State Department’s intention to implement a gradual approach to resuming embassy operations in Syria.
The February 10 notification said spending on the plans would begin within 15 days, or next week, though there was no specific timeline for when they would be completed or when US personnel would return to Damascus permanently.
The Trump administration has been considering reopening the embassy since last year after the ouster of President Bashar al Assad in December 2024, a priority for President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack.
Barrack sought a deep rapprochement with Syria and its new leadership led by Ahmed al Sharaa, and succeeded in lifting US sanctions and reintegrating Syria into regional and international communities.
Last May, Barrack visited Damascus and raised the US flag in the embassy compound, although the embassy hasn’t yet opened.
On the same day the notification was sent to Congress, Barrack praised Syria’s decision to join the coalition against ISIS even as the US military withdraws from a small but important base in the southeast, and major issues between the government and the Kurdish minority remain.
Plans to reopen the embassy are considered classified, and the State Department declined to comment on details other than to confirm that the notification has been sent to Congress.
However, the department has taken a similar phased approach in its plans to reopen the US embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following the US military operation that toppled former President Nicolás Maduro in January, by deploying temporary staff who will live and work in temporary facilities.
