A top White House counterterrorism official recently held in Damascus talks with the Syrian authorities to negotiate the release of US hostages, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.

Kash Patel, a deputy assistant to President Donald Trump and top White House counterterrorism official, traveled to Damascus earlier this year for the secret negotiations, Trump administration officials and others familiar with the secret meetings told The Journal.

The secret meetings represent the first time such a high-level US official has met with the Syrian government representatives in more than a decade