The United States will not get involved in the conflict in Syria between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and advancing rebel forces, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Dec. 7.
Sullivan's comments came as a coalition of anti-government forces across Syria captured multiple cities in a single day and continued to push toward Damascus.
The rebel advance has been aided by the weaknesses of Assad's allies, including Russia, Sullivan said.
"Assad's backers — Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah — have all been weakened and distracted," he said.
Russia is "ground down in a war of attrition" in Ukraine, Sullivan said, preventing it from lending greater military aid to Assad and contributing to the speed and scale of the current rebel offensive.
Sullivan said he was in "vigorous agreement" with earlier comments by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who said on X that the situation in Syria occurred because Russia is "so tied up in Ukraine" and has sustained heavy losses.
Trump also urged Russia and the U.S. to stay out of the conflict.
According to Sullivan, the U.S. will not be directly involved in the fighting in Syria.
"The United States is not going to dive militarily into the middle of a Syrian civil war," he said.
Anti-government fighters launched a surprise offensive in late November, gaining control of major cities like Aleppo and Hama after laying dormant for nearly a decade. U.S. officials told CNN on Dec. 7 that Assad's regime could collapse "by next weekend."
If Assad falls, the U.S. will take steps to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in the region, Sullivan said.
Abbey Fenbert
