US diplomats in Damascus, Syria, for the first time in 10+ years after the fall of Assad

A group of American officials is in the Syrian capital for the first time in more than 10 years seeking information on American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, among other things.

The delegation visiting Damascus consists of US Ambassador for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) Barbara Leaf and NEA Senior Advisor Daniel Rubinstein, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

Rubinstein, who previously served as the US Special Envoy to Syria and has decades of foreign affairs experience, will lead the diplomatic engagement, the spokesman said.

His job is to interact with the Syrian people and important organizations in the country. He also wants to work with partners to promote the goals set at a meeting between world leaders in the city of Aqaba in Jordan earlier this month.

BIDEN SAYS WE KNOW ‘FOR SURE’ AMERICAN REPORTER AUSTIN TICE HAS BEEN HELD BY SYRIA

The trio will meet with the Syrian people to express their vision for their country after the fall of the Assad regime earlier this month amid the ongoing civil war. They will also ask how the US can help support them in their desired future.

“They will be interviewing directly with the Syrian people, including members of the public, activists, members of various communities, and other Syrian voices,” a Syrian spokesman said, in part.

The three officials will also meet with the representatives Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the US-designated terrorist group, to “discuss the terms of the transition” approved by the United States and regional partners in Aqaba, Jordan, the State Department said.

Abu Mohamed al-Jolani leads the US-designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) that took over Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)

ISLAMIST GROUP RUNNING SYRIA SET RECORD ON RULE IN REGION, RULING WITH ‘IRON CERTAINTY’

Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously noted that world leaders discussed “the need for an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition” during the Aqaba Summit in Syria in Jordan on December 14.

“The United States supports a future government in Syria that is elected and representative of all Syrians,” Blinken told X.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on December 13 in Turkey to discuss establishing greater stability in Syria between competing rebel groups. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Another goal of the trip is to find out what happened to the American citizens who disappeared under the Assad regime, including former Marine freelance journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped while reporting in Syria in 2012.

Carstens has been leading the charge to find Tice and recently shared that Rewards for Justice is offering up to $10 million for information on his whereabouts.

The State Department’s Justice Reward Program is offering $10 million for information related to Austin Tice. (State Department Justice Award)

“In light of recent events in Syria, the FBI is renewing our appeal for information that may lead to the safe haven, recovery, and return of Austin Bennett Tice, who was arrested in Damascus in August 2012,” the FBI said in a statement.