US Flag Raised in Syrian Capital for First Time Since 2012

The U.S. Department of State has not yet said whether or when the U.S. Embassy in Syria will reopen, as its envoy praised progress and raised the American flag.

(Left) U.S. President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 13, 2025. (Right) Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Ankara, Turkey, on Feb. 4, 2025. Francisco Seco/AP Photo

The American flag was raised at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on May 29 for the first time in more than a decade, marking a symbolic shift in Washington’s relationship with Syria.

Thomas Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and newly appointed special envoy to Syria, led the ceremony alongside Syrian Foreign Minister Assad Hassan al-Shaibani. The U.S. flag has not flown in the capital since the U.S. Embassy suspended operations in February 2012 during Syria’s civil war.