Assad, President-elect Donald Trump stated that he thinks what happens in Syria "is not our fight." In this web exclusive, outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken explains to correspondent Martha Teichner why he feels it is imperative for the United States to be engaged with the new government that emerges in Damascus.

Syria's defence minister said Wednesday that Damascus was open to talks with Kurdish-led forces on their integration into the national army but stood ready to use force should negotiations fail. Sharaa had told Al Arabiya television that Kurdish-led forces should be integrated into the new national army so that weapons are "in the hands of the state alone".

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia is ready to go, but requires following through on ending the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and a commitment to a pathway to a Palestinian state.

In his final policy address, the Biden administration's chief diplomat had little new to say about Gaza’s future or the current state of ceasefire negotiations.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is heading to Syria to encourage the transition in the country following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents.

Murhaf Abu Qasra said Kurdish-led forces should be incorporated into the new national army and weapons to be controlled by the state

Polish paramedics treated 16 injured coal miners on Wednesday after methane ignited in a mine in southern Poland, the ambulance service said.

In an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Asharq Al Awsat’s News channel on Tuesday, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said the alliance’s “basic demand” is for decentralized administration – a potential challenge to Syria’s new leadership, which wants to bring all of the country back under the government’s authority after ousting Bashar al-Assad last month.

They are looking to resolve one of the most explosive questions looming over Syria: the fate of Kurdish forces that the U.S. considers key allies against Islamic State and that Turkey regards as a national security threat.

Journalists shouted down Secretary of State Antony Blinken from the audience despite his assurances that he would answer questions after his address.

Thirty-three hostages are set to be released over the next six weeks in the ceasefire deal reached on Wednesday. The remainder, including male soldiers, are to be released in a second phase that will be negotiated during the first. Hamas has said it will not release the remaining captives without a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal.

Several times during Blinken's opening remarks, two members of the audience repeatedly interjected with shouted questions about U.S. support for Israel and conditions in Gaza, and, at times, personal attacks aimed at Blinken and other State Department officials.