In a complex strategic maneuver, President Trump met with the former al Qaeda terror leader but now President of Syria, President Ahmad al-Sharaa (Jolani) on Trump’s historic peace tour of the Middle East. Trump announced that he would be lifting sanctions against Syria and outlined conditions for Syria to succeed. This move presents an historic strategic opportunity to reset geo-political alliances in the Middle East.
This really changes the game in the region. Syria has long been a vassal state of Iran and Russia so I understand Trump’s thinking. This will further shut out Iran and its ability to link up between terror. And Russia will likely find it increasingly difficult to continue its presence in Syria, in particular with its supply of oil to the country.
But the mass killings of Alawites, Druze and Christians must end.
Does a leopard change his spots? Even if Al-Sharaa is sincere, can he control the jihadi networks already indoctrinating the next generation?
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In other words, President Trump is showing that Jolani has the opportunity to redeem his past by doing the right thing form now on, by abandoning terrorism and extreme Islamism; but, above all, leaving Israel alone. https://t.co/R0kbjKuFeU
Netanyahu demolished Hamas and killed Hezbollah’s senior leadership. This opened up Syria and Lebanon and forced Russia from its only Mediterranean outpost. It has weakened Iran.
NBC News: The streets of Syria were a carnival of car horns, fireworks and flags after President Donald Trump made the surprise announcement that the United States would lift sanctions that have throttled the country’s economy for more than 45 years.
Trump stunned even close observers on Tuesday by saying he wants to normalize relations after Syria’s longtime president, Bashar al Assad, was toppled in December. Trump met Wednesday with Assad’s successor, interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former leader of an al-Qaeda offshoot group, in Saudi Arabia after urging him late Tuesday to “show us something special.”
That has delighted Syrians and campaigners, who have been calling for sanctions relief to rebuild the war-ruined country — a reconstruction priced up to $400 billion. When Trump made the announcement — telling a Saudi audience “we’re taking them all off.”
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“This decision presents a genuine opportunity to revive the economy, restore national production cycles, and open doors to investments, technology, and markets,” he added. “From the Syrian government’s perspective, this decision marks a turning point that we aim to leverage wisely and rationally.”
Questions still hang over al-Sharaa, who led Assad’s overthrow and says he has reformed since his days as the leader of the Islamist insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which spearheaded the offensive against Assad in early December.
He has given some moderate signals, appointing women and minorities to government positions and saying Sharia, the strict interpretation of Islamic law, will not be imposed. Yet some groups remain uneasy about their place in the new Syria, where there have already been mass killings of Alawites, Assad’s minority Muslim sect.
“There is the risk that the Syrian government, which is pretty hardcore Islamist, ends up doing horrible things: more massacres, or Christians getting killed, or something else that would not play well in Washington,” Lund said. The White House could be in the position of having to defend itself “against the charges that it maybe enabled that,” he added. “It’s not a risk free decision.”
The Reuters news agency also reported this week that Syria has attempted to convince the US that it is not a threat but a potential partner, including by saying it was engaged in indirect talks with Israel to deescalate tensions with the US’s Middle eastern ally – despite Israel’s bombing of Syria and occupation of its territory.
Trump urged al-Sharaa to sign the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel. He also encouraged al-Sharaa to remove foreign terrorists from Syria and help the United States prevent the resurgence of ISIS.
Trump described the sanctions as “brutal and crippling,” but also noted their important function before the collapse of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024.
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The announcement was met with jubilant celebrations in the Syrian capital of Damascus, as people in the streets cheered and waved Syrian flags.
Tim Lenderking, a senior official in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs under the Trump administration, detailed the US position during a webinar hosted by the National Council on US-Arab Relations, Caliber.Az reports.a.
“We’re looking for an opportunity where we can build confidence,” Lenderking said. “These are not things that can be remedied overnight, but there’s a keenness on the part of the United States to engage and really see what these guys are made of.”
Key US expectations include obtaining credible information regarding the whereabouts of Americans detained or disappeared in Syrian prisons, particularly journalist Austin Tice. Lenderking noted that while he was “very pleased” with a January 19 meeting between Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Tice’s mother, Deborah, “we need to know where he is,” adding that the fate of other missing Americans must also be clarified.
Another critical issue is Iran’s presence in Syria. “We are very keen and determined to see that Iran does not gain a foothold back in Syrian territory,” Lenderking stated, stressing that the US demands assurances that Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, will be kept out of Syria. Lenderking also urged the Syrian government to continue its efforts against terrorism, particularly ISIS (Daesh). He welcomed the March agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government to integrate the northeast of Syria into a unified state, although he acknowledged that the implementation of these agreements is fraught with challenges.
“We recognize the implementation of these agreements are fraught with challenges, but the parties must come to a solution that ensures that ISIS and any other terror group can never again resurge in Syria,” Lenderking added.
Additionally, Lenderking emphasised the importance of dismantling all chemical weapons and their precursors, as well as adopting non-aggression principles toward neighbouring countries. He also called for accountability for war crimes, specifically citing the violence in Latakia in March, which he attributed to Iran and the remnants of the Assad regime.
The diplomat further demanded the expulsion of all foreign fighters from Syria’s government and security positions. “We will consider sanctions relief, provided the interim authorities take demonstrable steps in the directions that I have articulated,” Lenderking said. “We want Syria to have a second chance.”
Salem News Channel: U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel after a surprise U.S. announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government. Trump then flew to Qatar, where he oversaw the signing of a deal for the Gulf Arab country to buy jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing…. After Trump‘s declaration that he would lift sanctions on Syria, which is seeking to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war, he met with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who swept to power at the head of a group that Washington has called a terrorist organisation and once pledged allegiance to al Qaeda…. “I told him, ‘I hope you’re going to join when it’s straightened out.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do,” Trump said, according to a White House pool report (Salem News Channel).
This looks more like realpolitik rather than a retreat into isolationism, especially with Trump’s exhortation for Sharaa to ally with Israel in the Abraham Accords. Sharaa won his position on the battlefield as the leader of a mainly jihadist army, albeit with significant help from US-backed Kurd forces. Trump had a choice: either shun Sharaa and push him away, or at least attempt to engage and see whether he can be convinced to integrate into a peaceful global order (Hot Air).
Noah Rothman: If it succeeds, the benefits to the United States and the West would be immense. The old Syrian regime was an incubator and exporter of terrorism, as well as an Iranian vassal state. The Assad regime trained, funded, and introduced terrorists into Iraq intent on killing American soldiers. It hosted Iranian terrorist proxies as well as the Russian military and its mercenary cutouts…. Insofar as geopolitics is a zero-sum game, taking Syria off the board for Russia and Iran and adding it to the collection of Western assets would be a triumph. At the very least, it’s worth a shot. Trump deserves credit for taking it (National Review).
Trump urges Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to sign Abraham Accords recognizing Israel
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Trump made a stunning forecast Wednesday that the “young, attractive” Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa — a longtime Al Qaeda ringleader — would establish diplomatic relations with Israel.
Trump pressured al-Sharaa, 42, to join the Abraham Accords with the Jewish state during a private meeting in the Saudi capital and told reporters afterward that he was successful.
“I think they have to get themselves straightened up. I told him, ‘I hope you’re going to join when it’s straightened out.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do,” Trump said aboard Air Force One as he flew to Qatar as part of his three-nation Mideast tour to drum up business relations between the US and Gulf states.
“Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter,” Trump said of his Syrian counterpart, who met with the commander in chief with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan patched in on speaker phone.
“He’s got a real shot at holding it together. I spoke with President Erdogan, who is very friendly with him,” Trump said.
“He feels he’s got a shot of doing a good job. It’s a torn-up country.”
Trump said Tuesday that he would lift all US sanctions on Syria to give the war-torn country a “chance” to rebuild, earning a standing ovation from Saudi leaders and businessmen at an investment forum.
The US and Syrian leaders met on the sidelines of a Gulf Cooperation Council gathering in Riyadh.
Syria currently doesn’t recognize Israel’s statehood, and the Abraham Accords were just one of Trump’s requests to Syria in an effort to normalize relations between the two neighbors.
Trump also told al-Sharaa to deport all foreign terrorists from his country — including Palestinians — help the US prevent the return of ISIS in the region, and take control of terror detention centers in northeastern Syria, according to the White House.
The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) currently run those detention camps. The SDF’s push for a decentralized new government has been a flashpoint in al-Sharaa’s fledgling rule.
Wealthy Arab states poured billions into the long-running civil war to oust dictator Bashar al-Assad, which al-Sharaa ultimately accomplished late last year.
“I felt very strongly that this would give them a chance,” Trump said at the GCC meeting on Wednesday. “Gives them a good, strong chance … it was my honor to do so.
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