Italy’s foreign minister heads to Syria to encourage post-Assad transition

ROME (AP) — Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he will travel to Syria on Friday to encourage the country's transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents, and said Europe should review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.

Tajani presided over a meeting in Rome on Thursday of foreign ministry officials from five countries — Britain, France, Germany, Italy and the United States — after speaking earlier by telephone with his counterparts from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The aim, he said, is to coordinate the various post-Assad initiatives, with Italy prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for the Syrian population.

Going into the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and their European counterparts, Tajani said it was critical that all Syrians be recognized with equal rights. It was a reference to concerns about the rights of Christians and other minorities under Syria’s new de facto authorities of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, an Islamic militant group that the U.S. and U.N. have long designated as a terrorist organization.

“The first messages from Damascus have been positive. That’s why I’m going there tomorrow, to encourage this new phase that will help stabilize the international situation,” Tajani said.

Speaking to reporters, he said the European Union should discuss possible changes to its sanctions on Syria. “It’s an issue that should be discussed because Assad isn’t there anymore, it’s a new situation, and I think that the encouraging signals that are arriving should be further encouraged,” he said.

Syria has been under deeply isolating sanctions by the U.Ses, the European Union and others for years as a result of Assad’s brutal response to what began as peaceful anti-government protests in 2011 and spiraled into civil war.

HTS led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule. From 2011 until Assad’s downfall, Syria’s uprising and civil war killed an estimated 500,000 people.

The U.S. has gradually lifted some penalties since Assad departed Syria for protection in Russia. The Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of a Syrian rebel leader whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month.

Syria’s new leaders also have been urged to respect the rights of minorities and women. Many Syrian Christians, who made up 10% of the population before Syria’s civil war, either fled the country or supported Assad out of fear of Islamist insurgents.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome's Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome's Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

From left, Anne Grillo, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Günter Sautter, German Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, pose for a family photo during a meeting, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Rome's Villa Madama, on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

From left, Anne Grillo, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Günter Sautter, German Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, pose for a family photo during a meeting, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Rome's Villa Madama, on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks to the media a he arrives for a meeting at Rome's Villa Madama, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 on the situation in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have burned at least 10,000 homes, buildings and other structures, officials said Thursday as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew.

The fast-moving Kenneth Fire started in the late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for fire evacuees and then moved into neighboring Ventura County by the evening.

Only hours earlier officials expressed encouragement after firefighters aided by calmer winds and help from crews from outside the state saw the first signs of successfully beating back the region’s devastating wildfires that have killed 10 people so far.

“We are expecting this fire to rapidly spread due to high winds,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, echoing the forecast that called for winds to strengthen Thursday evening through Friday morning.

The orders came as Los Angeles County officials announced the Eaton Fire near Pasadena that started Tuesday night has burned more than 5,000 structures, a term that includes homes, apartment buildings, businesses, outbuildings and vehicles. To the west in Pacific Palisades, the largest of the fires burning in the LA area has destroyed over 5,300 structures.

All of the large fires that have broken out this week in the Los Angeles area are located in a roughly 25-mile (40-kilometer) band north of downtown, spreading a sense of fear and sadness across the nation's second-largest city.

Dozens of blocks were flattened to smoldering rubble in scenic Pacific Palisades. Only the outlines of homes and their chimneys remained. In Malibu, blackened palm strands were all that was left above debris where oceanfront homes once stood.

At least five churches, a synagogue, seven schools, two libraries, boutiques, bars, restaurants, banks and groceries burned. The Will Rogers’ Western Ranch House and Topanga Ranch Motel, local landmarks dating to the 1920s also burned. The government has not yet released figures on the cost of the damage or specifics about how many structures burned.

AccuWeather, a private company that provides data on weather and its impact, on Thursday increased its estimate of the damage and economic loss to $135-$150 billion.

Firefighters made significant gains Thursday at slowing the spread of the major fires, but containment remained far out of reach.

Crews also knocked down a blaze in the Hollywood Hills with the help of water drops from aircraft, allowing an evacuation to be lifted Thursday. The fire that sparked late Wednesday near the heart of the entertainment industry came perilously close to igniting the famed Hollywood Bowl outdoor concert venue.

Fire officials don’t yet know the cause of the fires but are actively investigating.

Earlier in the week, hurricane-force winds blew embers, igniting the Southern California hillsides.

Right now, it’s impossible to quantify the extent of the destruction other than “total devastation and loss,” said Barbara Bruderlin, head of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce.

“There are areas where everything is gone, there isn’t even a stick of wood left, it’s just dirt,” Bruderlin said.

Of the 10 deaths so far, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley confirmed two were in the Palisades Fire. County officials said the Eaton Fire had killed five.

Cadaver dogs and crews are searching through rubble, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said.

Anthony Mitchell, a 67-year-old amputee, and his son, Justin, who had cerebral palsy, were waiting for an ambulance to come, but they did not make it out, Mitchell’s daughter, Hajime White, told The Washington Post.

Shari Shaw told KTLA that she tried to get her 66-year-old brother, Victor Shaw, to evacuate Tuesday night but he wanted to stay and fight the fire. Crews found his body with a garden hose in his hand.

On Thursday, recovery crews pulled a body from rubble of what was a beachfront residence in Malibu on the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. A charred washer and dryer were among the few things that remained.

At least 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, and the fires have consumed about 45 square miles (117 square kilometers) — roughly the size of San Francisco. The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles’ history.

All schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second largest, will be closed Friday because of the heavy smoke wafting over the city and ash raining down in parts, and classes will not resume until the conditions improve, officials said.

At least 20 arrests have been made for looting, and the city of Santa Monica declared a curfew because of the lawlessness, officials said. National Guard troops arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. The county sheriff said to protect properties they'll be stationed near the areas ravaged by fire and a curfew was expected to go into effect from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.

Flames destroyed the homes of several celebrities, including Billy Crystal, Mandy Moore and Paris Hilton.

Jamie Lee Curtis pledged $1 million to start a “fund of support” for those affected by the fires that touched all economic levels from the city’s wealthy to its working class.

California’s wildfire season is beginning earlier and ending later due to rising temperatures and decreased rainfall tied to climate change, according to recent data.

Dry winds, including the notorious Santa Anas, have contributed to warmer-than-average temperatures in Southern California, which has not seen more than 0.1 inches (2.5 millimeters) of rain since early May.

Robert Lara sifted through the remains of his home in Altadena on Thursday with tears in his eyes, hoping to find a safe containing a set of earrings that once belonged to his great-great-grandmother.

“All our memories, all our sentimental attachments, things that were gifted from generation to generation to generation are now gone,” he said.

Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio, and Watson from San Diego. Associated Press journalists Manuel Valdes, Eugene Garcia, Krysta Fauria and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Pasadena, California; Hallie Golden in Seattle; Mark Thiessen in Anchorage, Alaska; Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Janie Har in San Francisco; Brian Melley in London; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland; and Tammy Webber in Detroit contributed.

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

The devastation from the Palisades Fire is seen from the air in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Beach front properties are left destroyed by the Palisades Fire, in this aerial view, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

An emergency vehicle drives through a neighborhood devastated by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Two people hold hands while sifting through a fire-ravage property in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A helicopter flies over the Kenneth Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

From left, Rob Ramsey, Christina Larson and Larson's husband Chris, the co-owner of the Rancho Bar, look through the ruins of the Rancho Bar a day after it was destroyed by the Eaton Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Shane Torre douses hot spots of what remains of his home In Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Homes bordering the Pacific Ocean are burned to the ground in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Nancy Belanger pours water on a neighbor's fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Glenda, who declined to give her last name, stands near the entrance of her home destroyed by the Eaton fire Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Beach front properties are left destroyed by the Palisades Fire, in this aerial view, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A firefighter sets a backburn in front of the advancing Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Fire crews battle the Eaton Fire as it impacts a structure Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

A man searches though his destroyed home after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Firefighters look over a home after the Eaton Fire burns in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

A beach front property is burned by the Palisades Fire Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A plume of smoke from a wildfire forms over the city's basin Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

A firefighter protects a beach front property while fighting the Palisades Fire Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The ruins of a burned property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Homes are seen burned while a few still stand, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Ari Rivera, right, and Anderson Hao hold each other in front of their destroyed home in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Paul Perri searches through his daughter's fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Eaton Fire on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Firefighters extinguish burning embers at a house on Santa Rosa Avenue, also known as Christmas Tree Lane, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Robert Lara, left, looks for belongings along with his stepfather after the Eaton Fire burns in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Nic Coury)

Firefighters look out over the Kenneth Fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in the West Hills section of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)

Lissa Renn looks at remains of her neighborhood In Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Robert Karban fills a bucket with water from a swimming pool to put out hot spots at a home destroyed by the Eaton fire, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Altadena, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Fire crews battle the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Water is dropped by helicopter on the Kenneth Fire in the West Hills section of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A VW van sits among burned out homes, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Two people ride bicycles amid the destruction left behind by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)