The US State Department announced early Friday that three senior American diplomats have arrived in Damascus, Syria's capital, to meet with leaders of the new regime forces now in control of the country and to search for information on Austin Tice, a missing journalist, and other US citizens.

The State Department said that the diplomats "will be engaging directly with the Syrian people, including members of civil society, activists, members of different communities and other Syrian voices about their vision for the future of their country and how the United States can help support them.

The officials include Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Roger D. Carstens, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and Daniel Rubinstein, the newly appointed Special Advisor on Syria.

According to the State Department, the diplomats plan to engage with Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham to discuss the "transition principles" that American, Arab, and Turkish officials agreed upon during a meeting last weekend in Aqaba, Jordan.

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US officials have reportedly stressed the importance of new regime forces in Syria establishing an inclusive governance process that ensures "fair treatment of ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians."

UN envoy says Syria conflict not over; SC urges 'inclusive' process

United Nations special envoy Geir Pedersen called Wednesday for "free and fair elections" and humanitarian assistance for Syria, expressing hope for a political solution in the northeast, after Bashar al-Assad's ouster this month.

Addressing reporters in Damascus, Pedersen expressed hope for "free and fair elections... after a transitional period," also calling for "immediate humanitarian assistance" for the war-torn country and saying that "hopefully we will see a political solution" in the Kurdish-held northeast.

Earlier, Geir Pedersen warned that the conflict in Syria is far from over, stressing that "there have been significant hostilities in the last two weeks before a ceasefire was brokered."

Pedersen expressed serious concern about the military escalation in the region, warning that it "could be catastrophic," particularly the ongoing clashes between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed factions.

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