NEW YORK, December 11. /TASS/. The outgoing US administration led by President Joe Biden is looking into the possibility of removing the terrorist designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS, outlawed in Russia), the leading force behind the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar Assad, high-ranking US officials told NBC news.

One official said the goal is to pave the way for the global community’s future contacts with the new government.

Two sources expect this to happen soon, but one official said related discussions are still at early stages at this point.

US National Security Adviser John Kirby said earlier that no discussions about changing the designation of HTS were under way. However, the administration is closely following the group’s current activities, he added.

On November 27, members of armed opposition groups launched a large-scale offensive against government forces' positions in Aleppo and Idlib Governorates. By the evening of December 7, opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad had captured several major cities: Aleppo, Hama, Deir ez-Zor, Deraa, and Homs. They entered Damascus on December 8, after which Syrian army units withdrew from the city. The head of the Syrian government, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, expressed his readiness for a peaceful transfer of power in the country. Assad left office and fled the country.