U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Larry Silverman will temporarily become the United States’ point man on Syria with the departure of Robert Ford on Friday, a State Department spokeswoman said.

U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Larry Silverman will temporarily become the United States' point man on Syria with the departure of Robert Ford on Friday, a State Department spokeswoman said.

"Robert Ford is retiring from the foreign service after nearly 30 years," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Silverman would stand in until a permanent successor to Ford is named. "We will soon announce a permanent replacement," she added.