US leaders brace for what's next in Middle East after Syrian government collapses

WASHINGTON - At both the State Department and the White House, U.S. officials are still trying to figure out exactly what kind of government is taking root in Syria. 

It’s been more than 24 hours since rebels overthrew Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad. 

The end of the Assad family’s rule is for many Syrians a moment of mixed joy and fear, of the total unknown. The Syrian uprising has created a power vacuum in a part of the world that is already a tinderbox. 

Syria’s multifaith and multiethnic population sees itself poised on a moment that could tip either into chaos or cohesion. The country’s Sunni Muslims, Shiite Alawites, Christians and ethnic Kurds have often been pitted against each, whether by Assad’s rule or a 14-year civil war.

RELATED: Syria's Assad flees country after rebels topple government

Foreign powers with their own interests have their hands deep in the country, and any of them — Russia, Iran, Turkey, the United States and Israel — could act as spoilers.

Right now, U.S. officials are saying they support the removal of Syria’s former President Assad but they are telling other countries and terror groups not to interfere as this new Syrian government takes shape.

At the State Department Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken outlined the brutal history of the Assad family, which has ruled Syria with an iron fist for half a century. 

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says the U.S. will take steps if terror groups like ISIS try to insert themselves into the new Syrian government, a point Secretary Blinken re-enforced.

"ISIS will try to use this period to reestablish its capabilities to create safe havens, but as our precision strikes demonstrate we are determined not to let that happen," Blinken said.

READ MORE: Syrians living in DMV celebrate collapse of Assad regime

Some Syrian nationals living in the DMV have told FOX 5 they’re celebrating the end of the road for Assad, but there is concern about the path forward.  

"This family ruled the country for 55 years they shaped the ugliest national identity a country can have, literally, based on brutality, a police state," said Dishad Othman, who fled Syria. 

Brian Boyd, a former Pentagon official tells FOX 5 that the big question surrounding what kind of Syrian government emerges is whether will it be a friend or foe of the U.S.

"Under Assad, people have been subjugated, they’ve been murdered, half the people have been killed, deployed or imprisoned. He’s one of the most brutal dictators in their history," Boyd said. 

Secretary Blinken also said Monday that the U.S. is increasing its efforts on the ground in Syria to bring home Austin Tice, an American journalist who has been held captive in Syria for 12 years.

So far, the civil peace seems to be holding. The insurgents have appeared disciplined, working to keep order, with no sign of reprisals. Experts say only time will tell what post-Assad Syria will look like.

---------------------

The Associated Press contributed to this story.