WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is preparing to designate a Syrian rebel group with alleged ties to al-Qaida as a foreign terrorist organization in a step aimed at blunting the influence of extremists within the Syrian opposition, U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The move will freeze any assets that members of Jabhat al-Nusra have in U.S. jurisdictions and bar Americans from providing the group with material support, the officials said.

But the designation, which is expected in the coming days, probably next week, would be largely symbolic because the group is not thought to have significant holdings or support in the United States.