In an article in Le Figaro, Tony Habib unveils how Bashar al-Assad deliberately torpedoed a rare opportunity for rapprochement with the United States in 2024, prioritising his grip on power over the interests of his war-torn nation.
According to the report, the Biden administration, through the mediation of Oman, proposed confidential discussions in Muscat aimed at resolving key issues, including the fate of missing American journalist Austin Tice. In return for Syrian cooperation, Washington offered to withdraw its 2,000 troops from strategic oil fields in northeastern Syria, allowing Assad’s forces—excluding Iranian-backed militias—to assume control, provided the areas were not used to target U.S. personnel.
Assad’s response was swift and dismissive: “We don’t talk to Americans.” Despite appeals from Oman’s Sultan Haitham and later from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, Assad remained intransigent. Though he reluctantly authorised a delegation led by sidelined diplomat Imad Moustapha, he instructed them to reject all offers. When one delegate shared contact details with U.S. envoy Brett McGurk, Assad erupted in anger, forbidding further talks. Efforts to revive the dialogue failed, and the Americans ultimately withdrew from the process.
This rejection came mere weeks before the regime’s collapse on December 8, 2024, following the battle for Aleppo. Assad had also spurned Turkish overtures regarding Idlib, despite pressure from his allies in Iran, Russia, and Iraq.
Sources describe Assad’s regime in its final years as a kleptocratic clique led by a shadow cabinet—including figures like Luna Chebel and Lina Kinaya—operating with impunity, siphoning public funds, and laundering money abroad. Maher al-Assad, head of the 4th Division and the captagon trade, and Asma al-Assad were central to this network.
The fate of Austin Tice remains uncertain. Some believe Assad handed him over to Iranian allies, who now view him as leverage in potential future negotiations with the United States.
Reflecting on the lost opportunity, one Syrian official close to the talks lamented, “Can you imagine such stupidity?”
