Syria will join the international coalition to combat the Islamic State group, marking a shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East, a senior Trump administration official confirmed.
The announcement came as President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House, the first such visit by a Syrian leader in the country’s history.
In an interview with Fox News, al-Sharaa said the visit was part of a “new era” in which the country would cooperate with the United States.
Trump has expressed support for al-Sharaa, who until recently was designated a terrorist by the US government.
Syria will now be the 90th country to join the global coalition, which aims to eliminate remaining elements of the so-called Islamic State and stem the flow of foreign militants to the Middle East.
Following the meeting, a senior administration official also confirmed that the US Treasury Department, along with the State and Commerce departments, will announce new measures to lift economic restrictions on Syria and provide “compliance clarity for investors.”
As part of the measures, the administration is also issuing a 180-day suspension of the Caesar Law, which since 2019 had sanctioned the former Syrian government.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office several hours after the meeting, Trump said, “We want Syria to become a very successful country.”
“And I believe this leader can do it,” he added. “I really think so.”
Diplomatic relations between Syria and the United States have been suspended since 2012, although the United States will now allow Syria to reopen its embassy in Washington.
This is the third meeting between the two leaders, following one in May on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Council and a dinner during the UN General Assembly in September.
Al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House culminates a notable makeover for the former jihadist.
Not long ago, he led an offshoot of Al-Qaeda — the group behind the 9/11 attacks and many others — before severing ties.
Even until this year, he was the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an armed Islamist group that the United States officially considered a terrorist organization until four months ago, with a $10 million bounty on his head.
Last week, the Treasury Department removed al-Sharaa from its “list of specially designated global terrorists.”
But since becoming Syria’s interim president, al-Sharaa has worked to soften his public image as he tries to rebuild Syria, with foreign support, after 13 years of war.
“He’s had a difficult past,” Trump said Monday. “And I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a difficult past, you wouldn’t have a chance.”
In his interview, al-Sharaa said he and Trump had not discussed their past, but rather focused on the “present and future” of Syria, in which he was a “geopolitical” and economic partner of Washington.
However, Al-Sharaa’s rule has been marred by killings of members of Syria’s Alawite minority, as well as deadly violence between Sunni Bedouin fighters and Druze militias.
It has promised to eradicate members of its security forces who have committed human rights violations.
Trump, for his part, has repeatedly expressed his support for al-Sharaa, referring to him as a “young, attractive guy” and a “fighter.”
In June, President Trump signed an executive order lifting sanctions against Syria, which the White House said would help support the country’s “path to stability and peace.”
At the time, the administration said it would monitor the new Syrian government’s actions, including “taking steps to normalize ties with Israel” and addressing “foreign terrorists” and militant groups operating in the country.
