President Donald Trump's counterterrorism adviser says the US is seeking a political resolution to the crisis in Syria and will not insist that President Bashar Assad be ousted first.
Tom Bossert says a military-imposed solution would not fill a void in leadership in the war-torn nation.
Bossert does say that leaving Assad in control does not offer the best hope for a peaceful Syria, however.
Bossert's comments come after a report in The Washington Post that Trump has decided to halt the CIA's years-long covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling the Assad government. The program was begun by the Obama administration to put pressure on Assad to relinquish power.