The recent offensive in Aleppo by Syrian rebel factions has placed the United States in a challenging position, as it seeks to navigate its support without fully endorsing either side while maintaining a troop presence of nearly 1,000 personnel in Syria as part of its ongoing campaign against ISIS.

On Monday, Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, clarified the US stance regarding the offensive that resulted in rebel groups swiftly capturing Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city, for the first time in several years.

“Let me be clear that the US is in no way involved in the operations you see playing out in and around Aleppo in northwestern Syria, which as you know are being led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a designated terrorist organization,” he stated, referring to HTS, and emphasized that the US is advocating for de-escalation.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan further highlighted the US dilemma during an interview with CNN on Sunday, noting that HTS is recognized as a “terrorist organization designated by the United States,” which raises significant concerns regarding its intentions and goals.

“At the same time, of course, we don’t lament the fact that the Assad government, supported by Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah, is experiencing certain pressures,” Sullivan remarked. “It’s a complex situation that we are monitoring closely, and we are maintaining close communication with regional partners.”

HTS was founded by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who previously established Jabhat al-Nusra, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Despite HTS’s attempts to dissociate from al-Qaeda, the US designated the group as a terrorist organization in 2018, citing its evolution from Jabhat al-Nusra.

Ryder stated on Monday that HTS, previously known as the ‘Nusrah Front’ and an affiliate of al Qaeda in Syria, remains classified as a terrorist organization.

Later that day, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller emphasized that the United States would maintain its sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, citing a lack of behavioral change from the government. Since the onset of uprisings in 2011, the US has imposed additional sanctions aimed at restricting resources due to the regime’s violence against civilians and to encourage a democratic transition as demanded by the Syrian populace, according to the State Department.

In light of the ongoing unrest, approximately 900 US service members are currently stationed in Syria as part of the anti-ISIS initiative. Although the operations in Aleppo are geographically distant from US forces, the prevailing instability—particularly Russia’s support for the Assad government—has led to communication between the US military and Moscow to avoid any potential miscalculations.

In reaction to the unexpected advance in Aleppo, Russia, a key ally of the Syrian regime, initiated an aerial campaign against opposition forces in the Aleppo and Idlib regions. Ryder noted on Monday that the US general overseeing the coalition efforts against ISIS in Iraq and Syria has engaged with Russian officials via a pre-established communication line.

The CJTF-OIR commander has utilized the established hotline with Russia to maintain open communication channels, particularly due to the proximity of our forces to Syria, Ryder stated on Monday. He refrained from providing specifics about the discussions but emphasized the importance of this communication mechanism to avert any potential miscalculations.

In the meantime, US and coalition forces in Syria have been facing ongoing attacks for nearly a year.

When questioned about recent assaults within the last 24 hours, Ryder confirmed a “rocket attack against one of our facilities in Syria,” noting that there were no injuries to US personnel and no damage to infrastructure. Additionally, he mentioned that on Friday, US forces executed a “self-defense strike near MSS Euphrates” to neutralize a potential threat to the US base, with no reported injuries or damage in that instance.

Ryder clarified that this action was “completely unrelated to the ongoing situation in northwestern Syria” and indicated that there have been no changes to the US force posture in Syria thus far.