UNITED NATIONS >> The U.N. organization assisting in investigating the most serious crimes in Syria said Monday the country’s new authorities were “very receptive” to its request for cooperation during a just-concluded visit to Damascus, and it is preparing to deploy.

The visit led by Robert Petit, head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, was the first since the organization was established by the U.N. General Assembly in 2016. It was created to assist in evidence-gathering and prosecution of individuals responsible for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide since Syria’s civil war began in 2011.

Petit highlighted the urgency of preserving documents and other evidence before it is lost.

Since the rebel overthrow of Syria’s President Bashar Assad and the rebel opening of prisons and detention facilities there have been rising demands from Syrians for the prosecution of those responsible for atrocities and killings while he was in power.

“The fall of the Assad rule is a significant opportunity for us to fulfill our mandate on the ground,” Petit said. “Time is running out. There is a small window of opportunity to secure these sites and the material they hold.”

U.N. associate spokesperson Stephane Tremblay said Monday the investigative team “is preparing for an operational deployment as early as possible and as soon as it is authorized to conduct activities on Syrian soil.”

The spokesperson for the organization, known as the IIIM, who was on the trip with Petit, went further, telling The Associated Press: “We are preparing to deploy on the expectation that we will get authorization.”

“The representatives from the caretaker authorities were very receptive to our request for cooperation and are aware of the scale of the task ahead,” the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of not being named. “They emphasized that they will need expertise to help safeguard the newly accessible documentation.”

The IIIM did not disclose which officials in the new government it met with or the site that Petit visited afterward.

“Even at one facility,” Petit said, “the mountains of government documentation reveal the chilling efficiency of systemizing the regime’s atrocity crimes.”

He said that a collective effort by Syrians, civil society organizations and international partners will be needed, as a priority, “ to preserve evidence of the crimes committed, avoid duplication, and ensure that all victims are inclusively represented in the pursuit of justice.”

In June 2023, the 193-member General Assembly also established an Independent Institution of Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic to clarify the fate and whereabouts of more than 130,000 people missing as a result of the conflict.

Other events

• The U.N. food agency reports that 23 trucks in a 66-truck convoy carrying food and other humanitarian supplies to central Gaza were plundered and lost.

U.N. associate spokesperson Stephanie Tremblay said Monday that the World Food Program convoy departed from the Kerem Shalon crossing via the recently approved Philadelphi Corridor on Sunday.

Despite Israeli assurances that safety conditions would be in place, she said an airstrike took place.

• Palestinian witnesses and hospital officials say an aid truck carrying flour has been looted in central Gaza after an Israeli airstrike killed four policemen inside a car securing the delivery.

An Associated Press journalist saw people walking away with flour bags, some stained with blood, after the blast. AP footage showed dozens of people gathered at the scene as emergency workers checked the burnt vehicle, which had spilled flour next to it.

U.N. officials and international aid organizations have said they are struggling to deliver aid, including much-needed winter supplies, into Gaza, in part because of looting and a lack of security protecting the convoys.

Israel often strikes armed men guarding the deliveries, saying they are Hamas militants. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on Monday’s strike.

• The Pentagon acknowledged Monday that there are more than 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq, the total routinely touted publicly. It also said the number of forces in Syria has grown over the past “several years” due to increasing threats, but was not openly disclosed.

Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said in a statement that there are “at least 2,500” U.S. military personnel in Iraq “plus some additional, temporary enablers” that are on rotational deployments. He said that due to diplomatic considerations, the department will not provide more specifics.

The U.S. concluded sensitive negotiations with the government of Iraq in September that called for troops to begin leaving after the November election. The presence of U.S. troops there has long been a political liability for Iraqi leaders who are under increased pressure and influence from Iran.

• Israel’s defense minister has confirmed that Israel assassinated Hamas’ top leader last summer and is threatening to take similar action against the leadership of the Houthi rebel group in Yemen.

The comments by Israel Katz appeared to mark the first time that Israel has acknowledged killing Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an explosion in Iran in July. Israel was widely believed to be behind the blast and leaders have previously hinted at its involvement.

In a speech Monday, Katz said the Houthis would meet a similar fate as the other members of an Iranian-led alliance in the region, including Haniyeh.

• The Israeli military says three soldiers were killed Monday in combat in northern Gaza. The military did not provide details of the circumstances.