Washington has asked other countries in the region if they would be open to accepting Gazans who voluntarily opt to leave.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke about the importance of working with the new Syrian government to stabilize the country at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday.
The United States has not discussed the deportation of Gazans to Libya, Rubio clarified to the committee, although Washington has asked other countries in the region if they would be open to accepting Gazans who voluntarily opt to leave the enclave.
“What we have talked to some nations about is if someone voluntarily and willingly says I want to go somewhere else for some period of time because I’m sick, because my children need to go to school, or what have you, are there countries in the region willing to accept them for some period of time?” Rubio said.
He added that he was not aware of Libya being included in those discussions.
Rubio also told the committee that the US was pleased to see the resumption of food shipments to Gaza, adding that the US understands that another 100 trucks are behind the initial ones to cross into Gaza and more might enter in the coming days.
However, no humanitarian aid has been distributed yet in the Gaza Strip, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, despite more supplies being dropped off on the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing.
“Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse,” Dujarric said.
Reaching Iran nuclear deal ‘will not be easy,’ Rubio says
Regarding reaching a nuclear deal, the Trump administration is working to reach an agreement that would allow Iran to have a civil nuclear energy program but not enrich uranium, Rubio told the committee, adding that the administration is offering an “off-ramp” for Iran to pursue prosperity and peace.
“It will not be easy, but that’s the process we’re engaged in now,” Rubio said.
Syria facing potential collapse if challenges persist
Additionally, senators also questioned Rubio about US President Donald Trump’s plans to unwind Syria sanctions, almost a week after Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Rubio iterated that it was important to work with the new Syrian government to stabilize the country, adding that the current US assessment is that the Syrian government is precarious, given its wide range of challenges. He said the State Department would allow staff in Turkey, including the ambassador there, to work with local officials in Syria to determine what kind of aid they need.
“It is our assessment that, frankly, the transitional authority, given the challenges they’re facing, is maybe weeks, not many months, away from potential collapse and a full-scale civil war of epic proportions, basically the country splitting up,” he said.
Rubio also had good news, adding that diverse groups in Syria feel a sense of Syrian identity, including Sunni and Shia, as well as Christians, Druze, Alawites, and Kurds.
These communities lived alongside each other, all identifying as Syrians, until the Assad regime, which held power from the 1970s to December 2024, pitted these groups against each other.
Where does the US stand on Syria’s new president?
Rubio also highlighted the problematic background of the new Syrian President Sharaa, who has links to al-Qaeda.
The goal now is to see if Sharaa can be trusted. Rubio said these new figures running Syria would not pass a background check with the FBI. These are the tough choices that the US administration faces today.
Various media outlets picked up Rubio’s comments, largely quoting his comments that Syria could slip into civil war in a matter of weeks.
However, those reports ignored the context of his comments. Rubio was arguing for working with the new government, which is the Trump administration’s official policy.
Trump’s willingness to do things that are outside the box is typical. He prefers personal meetings and personal diplomacy, and sizing people up.
He sized up Sharaa and decided that he was ready to lead.
Sharaa had support from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his meeting with Trump.
Qatar also backs the new Damascus government. Sharaa used to run Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, a group once linked to al-Qaeda. Today, the new Syrian transition government has two dozen ministers, and half come from the HTS, while half are independents.
These independents include a Christian woman, an Alawite, a Druze, and a Kurd. The HTS men are mostly young, and they are primarily Sunni Arabs who played a role in governing HTS-ruled parts of Idlib between 2017 and 2024. Some have close ties to Turkey.
It is important to understand that Trump’s decision to meet Sharaa and order that sanctions be ended is facing pushback in Washington. There is inertia that wants to keep sanctions in place.
Sanctions are like an oil tanker; they cannot shift course quickly. The EU has moved to end sanctions on Syria, a move that took place on Tuesday as Rubio was speaking at the Senate committee meeting.
This puts wind in the sails of Trump’s decision. However, some oppose this move, and others have ties to the Trump administration and the US State Department.
Therefore, this move may not happen as fast as some may want, and it may face hurdles or a kind of temporary status.
Sharaa also faces hurdles in Syria. While he has secured many foreign meetings and support, there are numerous challenges at home.
There are daily incidents in Syria where groups challenge the new government. There are ISIS cells and pro-Assad cells. The government is also trying to integrate the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in eastern Syria.
It wants all armed groups under the banner of the new security forces. Meanwhile, the US wants foreign fighters to leave Syria, as well as Palestinian terrorist groups. Damascus has somewhat cracked down on this. It has detained some Palestinian members of armed groups. Syria has also removed men like Ahmed Awda from power in southern Syria.
Awda was a local warlord, a one-time Syrian rebel who then worked with the regime and the Russians. However, Israel has demanded that southern Syria be demilitarized, which makes it hard for Damascus to assert control.
The new Syrian government thus faces many challenges to securing the country. It finds weapons being smuggled every day. It has uncovered explosive mines, as well as rockets and missiles, in places such as near the Lebanese and Iraqi borders.
Sharaa was not able to attend an Arab summit in Iraq due to opposition from pro-Iranian groups in Iraq. This shows how he has support in much of the region, but there are suspicions in Israel, in Washington, and among pro-Iranian groups and others.
Rubio tried to balance these issues in his discussion. He provides a good analysis of why the US should move to work with Damascus. If the US does not, then Syria could lose stability, or it could end up working with anti-Western countries.