Trump, Syrian President al-Sharaa, and Saudi crown prince (Reuters)
Al-Sharaa, formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, led the rebel offensive in December that toppled former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
His group, Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, was designated by the U.S. State Department as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in June that the Trump administration would remove the label amid the president’s efforts to reset U.S.-Syria ties.
A man holds the Syrian opposition flag during a gathering in Umayyad Square on December 13, 2024, in Damascus, Syria.
"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Rubio said in a statement.
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Trump received a standing ovation in Riyadh after announcing his administration would order the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to "give them a chance at greatness."
"Oh, what I do for the crown prince," he joked, referring to Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Mohammed bin-Salman, who pushed Trump to meet with Syria’s new leader.
Efforts to lift the Caesar sanctions, the strongest sanctions on Syria, have faced procedural delays in Congress.
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A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Reuters on Friday that the Trump administration supports repealing the Caesar sanctions through the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which is under discussion by U.S. lawmakers.
The bill, which was named after a Syrian Army defector who smuggled thousands of images documenting torture and executions in Bashar al-Assad's prisons, targeted entities and individuals who provided support to Assad’s regime.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ashley Carnahan is a writer at Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/syrias-interim-president-al-sharaa-expected-meet-trump-first-visit-syrian-leader-white-house