Rubio warns Syria could be weeks away from 'full-scale civil war'

The US secretary of state calls for Syria's transitional authorities to be supported to prevent their "potential collapse".

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At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he defended President Donald Trump's decision last week to lift sanctions on Syria before meeting President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander who led the rebel offensive that overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December.

Trump's rationale was that other countries wanted to help Sharaa's administration and send aid but were afraid of the sanctions, Rubio explained.

There was no immediate comment from Syrian officials.

The US imposed sanctions on Syria in response to atrocities committed by forces loyal to Assad during the country's devastating 13-year civil war, in which more than 600,000 people were killed and 12 million others were forced from their homes.