An American delegation arrived on Friday at a hotel in Damascus that the head of the coalition in power in Syria is using as his headquarters, AFP journalists witnessed, for a meeting with the country's new authorities.

The diplomats pulled up in a convoy of Jordanian-registered 4x4s flying the American flag for their sit-down with Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States.