BEIRUT: Syria has assigned Zouheir Jabbour as its new Charge d'Affaires ad interim in Washington, the U.S. state department said Wednesday.

“The Syrian government ended the tour of duty of Imad Moustafa effective Dec. 13. Mr. Zouheir Jabbour has been notified to the U.S. government as Charge d'Affaires ad interim,” a statement released by the State Department said in response to a question at a press briefing Tuesday.

Diplomatic ties between Damascus and Syria have been severed as the U.S. intensifies pressure on President Bashar Assad to step down.

In early December, the U.S. announced that Robert Ford, the American ambassador to Damascus, would return to Syria after Washington recalled him two months ago following alleged threats against his life and escalating violence in the country.

The State Department said Ford's presence in Syria was important for advancing U.S. policy goals in the troubled country by meeting with opposition figures and serving as a witness to the ongoing violence.

Syria had also recalled, but then later reinstated, its ambassador to Washington in a tit-for-tat move in late October.