US on Monday suspended its embassy operations in Damascus noting that the recent surge in violence in Syria has raised serious concerns about the safety and security of its personnel there.
"The recent surge in violence, including bombings in Damascus on December 23 and January 6, has raised serious concerns that our Embassy is not sufficiently protected from armed attack," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, said in a statement.
"We, along with several other diplomatic missions, conveyed our security concerns to the Syrian government but the regime failed to respond adequately," Nuland said as she announced that the US has suspended operations of its Embassy in Damascus with all its personnel including the Ambassador having departed the country.
The US Ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, has left Damascus but he remains the American envoy to Syria and its people, she said.
"As the President's representative, he will continue his work and engagement with the Syrian people as head of our Syria team in Washington.
"Together with other senior US officials, Ambassador Ford will maintain contacts with the Syrian opposition and continue our efforts to support the peaceful political transition which the Syrian people have so bravely sought," Nuland said.
US continues to be gravely concerned by the escalation of violence in Syria caused by the regime's blatant defiance of its commitments to the action plan it agreed to with the Arab League, she said.
"The deteriorating security situation that led to the suspension of our diplomatic operations makes clear once more the dangerous path Assad has chosen and the regime's inability to fully control Syria," Nuland said.
"It also underscores the urgent need for the international community to act without delay to support the Arab League's transition plan before the regime's escalating violence puts a political solution out of reach and further jeopardizes regional peace and security," she said.
