Handout photo shows Secretary Antony J. Blinken meets with UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pederson in Aqaba, Jordan, December 14, 2024. Antony Blinken said the US had made “direct contact” with Syria’s victorious Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels as western and Arab states along with Turkey jointly voiced support for a united, peaceful Syria. The US secretary of state’s comment is despite Washington having designated the HTS rebels as terrorists in 2018. Official State Department photo by Chuck Kennedy via ABACAPRESS.COM