WATCH: Biden Pledges Foreign Aid For Syria, Announces Airstrikes

President Biden welcomed the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a White House statement on Sunday, adding that the U.S. military had conducted airstrikes against ISIS and other jihadist targets in the country. Biden further pledged to work with U.S. “partners” to build a democratic Syria and pledged to provide the war-torn nation with foreign aid.

Assad fled the capital on Saturday after 13 years of bloody civil war, leaving the city in control of Syrian opposition led by Al-Aqeda offshoot Hayat Tahrir-al Sham (HTS). While speaking from the White House, Biden praised the end of Assad’s rule, referring to him as a brutal dictator who repressed and murdered his own people.

The lame duck president — who will be out of office on January 20 — then provided an outlook on U.S. involvement in Syria for the foreseeable future. “It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk,” Biden said.

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He went on to note that Russia and Iran, along with the latter’s proxies such as Hezbollah, played an instrumental role in propping up the
Assad regime, adding that “all three of them are far weaker today than when I took office.”

“In over the past four years, my Administration has pursued a clear and principled policy towards Syria. First, we made clear from the start, sanctions on Assad would remain in place unless he engaged seriously in a political process to end the civil war, as outlined by the UN Security Council Resolution 2015. But Assad refused, so we carried out a comprehensive sanctions program against him and all those responsible for atrocities against the Syrian people,” Biden went on to say.

Biden also credited continued U.S. military presence in southern Syria — which has mostly conducted operations against jihadist targets — as well as efforts from the Israeli military in their war against Iranian proxies for weakening the Assad regime.

As for the future, Biden pledged to work with regional partners such as Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel to ensure security in Syria. “Second, we will help ensure stability in Eastern Syria, protecting our personnel against any threats and will remain our mission against ISIS will be maintained, including the security of detention facilities where ISIS fighters are being held as prisoners. We are clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to re-establish its capabilities and to create a safe haven. We will not let that happen,” the president added.

He then revealed that over the weekend, the U.S. military had conducted multiple airstrikes targeted at ISIS and other jihadist militants in Syria.

“Third, we will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime, toward an independent and sovereign Syria, with a new constitution, a new government that serves all Syrians. And this process will be determined by the Syrian people themselves. And the United States will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war, and generation of brutality by the Assad family,” Biden continued.

He concluded his remarks by stating that HTS militants are “saying the right things now,” but that the U.S. will “remain vigilant.”

“Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses. We’ve taken note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days, and they’re saying the right things now. But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.”

Biden then called for the release of American journalist Austin Rice, who has been held captive in Syria for 12 years, before exiting the podium without taking questions.

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