US envoy for Syria arrives in Damascus for historic visit

Thomas Barrack, recently appointed US envoy for Syria, arrived in Damascus on Thursday in the first official American visit to the country in 13 years.

Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey, was received at the ambassador’s residence and accompanied by Syria’s foreign minister during the visit.

His appointment was announced on May 23. The visit marks a rare diplomatic step by Washington, which shuttered its embassy in Damascus in 2012, a year after the Syrian conflict erupted.