The Obama administration has suspended the Syrian Embassy in Washington and ordered the expulsion of its diplomats and staff. Secretary of State John Kerry said the Assad regime has lost the right to claim diplomatic legitimacy.

Secretary of State John Kerry: “We just felt the idea that this embassy is sitting here with representation, that we could take seriously, is an insult. And we closed it. It’s that simple. And we’ll see what happens in other places, but the Assad regime can never regain legitimacy in Syria. Whether they win, don’t win, they can’t regain legitimacy.”