US worried by Syria-Hamas reconciliation, warns of 'isolating' Damascus

The United States has warned that Washington will further “isolate” Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, in a sign of worry to the recent reconciliations between Damascus and the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement after a decade of strained relations.

In the wake of the meeting that took place between Assad and a Hamas delegation in Damascus on Wednesday, State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed Washington’s frustration and concerns on Assad's outreach to Hamas movement, saying the rapprochement “harms Palestine's interests and reinforces for us its isolation.”

He warned from any normalization of ties with the Syrian leader, pointing out that such a move “harms the interests of the Palestinian people, claiming “it undercuts global efforts to counter-terrorism in the region and beyond.”

"We will continue rejecting any support to rehabilitate the Assad regime,” Price said, noting that such support is particularly rejected from groups like Hamas, describing the Palestinian resistance movement as a “designated terrorist organization”.

This is while the US has been pursuing its interventionism in Syria, to further cement its foothold in the war-ravaged Arab country and plunder its natural resources. In April, SANA news agency reported that US occupation forces are training a group of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the countryside of Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah to carry out various acts of terror.

A high-ranking Palestinian delegation met the Syrian president in Damascus on Wednesday, in the first such visit in more than a decade as the two sides seek to revitalize their ties.

Deputy chief of the Hamas political bureau in the besieged Gaza Strip, Khalil al-Hayya, who headed the delegation, said the spirit of resistance was resurrected within the Arab world following their historic visit to Damascus.

Such rhetoric prompted the US to react, in a sign of fear from a stronger “Axis of resistance” in the region.

"Our meeting with al-Assad marked a glorious day today, and through it, we will resume our presence in Syria and working with Damascus in support of our people and Syria's stability," he said.

The Hamas official also reiterated that the resistance movement told President Assad that Hamas “will support Syria, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity and the Palestinian factions are against any aggression targeting Syrian soil.”

"The relations with Syria will give strength to the Axis of Resistance and to all the believers in the resistance," al-Hayya stressed, pointing out that "Hamas did not hear any opposition from any state that was informed of its decision to reconcile with Syria, including Turkey and Qatar."

Meanwhile, al-Assad underlined the importance of unity among Palestinians as a source of strength in the face of the Israeli aggression and for regaining their rights. He asserted that Syria will always remain in support of resistance against Israel. Members of the delegation expressed appreciation for Syria’s historic support to Palestinians, describing it as their safe haven during hardships.

The visit comes after non-public negotiations between Hamas and the Syrian leadership were mediated by the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah, in which the attendees discussed the disagreements that led to a decade-long rupture in ties.

In March, Assad traveled to the United Arab Emirates, a symbolic sign of normalization condemned by the United States, which showed bitter reaction to the trip. Back then, Price said in a statement that Assad's visit to the UAE left Washington "profoundly disappointed,” urging its Persian Gulf allies to avoid normalizing ties with Damascus.

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