Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Monday: “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 (HTS), a designated terrorist organization.” However, national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that “At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure.” CNN, US left facing a difficult situation in Syria. In related news: The Cradle, US-backed Kurdish militia withdraws from Aleppo in agreement with HTS.