US Ambassador in 'covert operation' or diplomacy inside Syria?

"...U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford briefly crossed into northern Syria on Thursday to meet with Syrian opposition leaders.It is Ford’s first visit back to Syria since he left in February, 2012, ...
A U.S. official confirmed Ford’s secret visit, which occurred along the Turkey-Syria border.  He briefly crossed into Syria to meet with opposition leaders before returning to Turkey.... A State Department official confirmed that Ford had “spent some time” at a border crossing to discuss the situation in Syria with  members of the Free Syrian Army and the Syrian opposition....
Officials did not want to provide additional details of Ford’s visit for security reasons.  ”Obviously, this a dangerous area so we don’t want to get into the movement of diplomatic personnel,” said the official.Ford arrived in Turkey on Wednesday after having been in Moscow with Secretary of State John Kerry for meetings with Russian officials to get their support for a renewed effort towards a political solution for ending the civil war in Syria...Traveling in Rome on Thursday, Kerry said he had asked Ford to travel to Istanbul, Turkey, to engage in talks with the Syrian opposition that he described as having been “very productive.” ..."