(CNN) � President detailed some initial next steps his administration will take following the in Syria, offering a blueprint for how the US plans to support to the region amid a moment of instability.
In remarks from the White House on Sunday, Biden called the regime’s fall “a moment of risk� and of opportunity.
“It’s a moment of historic opportunity for the long-suffering people of Syria to build a better future for their proud country. It’s also a moment of risk and uncertainty. As we all turn to the question of what comes next, the United States will work with our partners and the stakeholders in Syria to help them seize an opportunity to manage the risk,� he said.
The US will “support Syria’s neighbors, including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel, should any threat arise from Syria during this period of transition,� Biden said during his remarks from the Roosevelt Room.
Biden said he plans to speak with his counterparts in the region “in the coming days� and that US officials will deploy to the region.
The US will work to “ensure stability in eastern Syria,� he said, vowing to protect US personnel and continue its mission against ISIS.
The US is prioritizing efforts to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, Biden said, adding that he is “clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try to take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its capability to create a safe haven,� but starkly saying, “We will not let that happen.�
Biden noted that those efforts include securing detention facilities where ISIS fighters are being held as prisoners,� as well as a “dozen precision strikes� in Syria targeting ISIS.
The Biden administration also plans to engage with Syrian groups as the country transitions toward a new government, he said.
“We will engage with all Syrian groups, including within the process led by the United Nations, to establish a transition away from the Assad regime toward (an) independent, sovereign � new government that serves all of Syria,� he said.
“This process be determined by the Syrian people themselves,� Biden continued. “The United States will do whatever we can to support them, including through humanitarian relief, to help restore Syria after more than a decade of war and generation of brutality by the Assad family.�
Biden warned that the US will “remain vigilant� and closely watch the rebel groups� actions. One of the key rebel groups leading the offensive, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, has been designated by the US as a terrorist organization.
“We take a note of statements by the leaders of these rebel groups in recent days, and they’re saying the right things now, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their word, but their actions,� Biden said.
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