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The UK and the United States are exploring ways to engage with the Syrian opposition group which spearheaded the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,Ìýpotentially leading to the removal of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from their "terror" lists.

The UK said on Monday it would decide "quickly" whether to remove the Islamist group from its list of designated terrorist organisations.

HTS is rooted in Syria's Al-Qaeda branch but broke ties with the group in 2016. The UK and the United States have blacklisted the group, with the US placing a $10 million bounty on its leaderÌýAbu Mohammad al-Jolani.

Pat McFadden, whose ministerial role includes responsibility for UK national security, on Monday said that the government was considering removing the group from the blacklist.

"If the situation stabilises, there'll be a decision to make about how to deal with whatever new regime is in place there," he told BBC Radio 4.

"I think it should be a relatively swift decision so it's something that will have to be considered quite quickly, given the speed of the situation on the ground."

McFadden added that Syrian rebel leader al-Jolani was "saying some of the right things about the protection of minorities, about respecting people's rights. So we'll look at that in the days to come".

He added to Sky News that "it will partly depend on... how that group behaves now".

°®Âþµº has contacted the Home Office for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

The EU said on Monday it was not in contact with HTS and would assess the group's "words" and "actions" when weighing whether to lift sanctions.

"The European Union is not currently engaging with HTS or its leaders full stop," an EU spokesman told journalists.

Assad, in power since 2000, was overthrown on Sunday following a swift campaign by HTS and its allies.

The US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House, John Kirby, told CNN that Washington was "exploring ways to communicate with the groups that have taken control of Damascus".

"We are currently in a period of uncertainty, and actions will determine our confidence in the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham," he added.

'Risk and uncertainty'Ìý

Jolani, whose real name is Ahmed al-Sharaa, has beenÌýdesignatedÌýas aÌýterroristÌýby the United States sinceÌý2013, while his group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the Trump administration in 2018.

Speaking several hours after the fall of Damascus on Sunday, US President Joe Biden called the rebel takeover a "fundamental act of justice," but cautioned it was "a moment of risk and uncertainty" for the Middle East.

"We will remain vigilant," Biden said. "Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses," adding that the groups are "saying the right things now."

"But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions," Biden said.

The government fell more than 13 years after Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests ignited Syria's civil war, which has drawn in foreign powers, and jihadists and claimed more than half a million lives.

Assad and his family are in Moscow, according to Russian news agencies.