Overview
- President Trump hosted transitional president Ahmed al‑Sharaa in the first Washington visit by a Syrian head of state since 1946 and praised him as a strong leader.
- The US extended the suspension of elements of the Caesar-era sanctions for another 180 days after the UN and Washington removed legal barriers to engage al‑Sharaa last week.
- Syria’s information minister said Damascus signed a political cooperation agreement with the anti‑IS coalition, describing it as non‑military at this stage.
- Syria’s Interior Ministry reported 61 nationwide raids against IS cells ahead of the trip, with 71 arrests and seizures of explosives and weapons.
- US envoy Tom Barrack has discussed US‑mediated Syria–Israel security talks, and Reuters reported planning for a possible US presence near a Damascus airbase, which Syrian officials have publicly disputed.