Meanwhile, Israel has launched dozens more airstrikes against Syria despite regional condemnation, according to a war monitor.
Israel has previously said it is taking steps to “destroy strategic capabilities” that threaten it.
HTS, the most powerful rebel group, has said it seeks an inclusive government. But the group’s violent jihadist past has raised questions about whether it will keep that promise.
Blinken said Washington has been in direct contact with HTS, particularly regarding the fate of long-missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice.
“We have been in contact with HTS and other parties,” Blinken told reporters in Jordan.
There was not a single Syrian representative missing from the Jordan talks. Foreign ministers from eight Arab countries who attended the meeting said they wanted Syria to be unified rather than divided along sectarian lines.
Also absent were Iran and Russia, which provided financial support that allowed Assad to remain in power for so long.
The shadow of all the external forces fighting over Syria for so long hangs heavily over the country’s future.
If the Syrian people are to build any real hope of building on the taste of freedom they experienced last week, Syria’s emerging political groups will need solidarity not only within the country but also outside it.
