Overview
- President Donald Trump meets Ahmed al‑Sharaa at the White House in the first visit by a Syrian head of state since 1946, marking a sharp turn in bilateral ties after Assad’s ouster.
- Days before the visit, the U.N. Security Council lifted sanctions on al‑Sharaa and the U.S. removed him from its terrorism blacklist, with the State Department citing progress on missing Americans and chemical weapons.
- Syria is expected to join the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, with officials indicating a formal announcement could come during the talks, enabling closer coordination between U.S. and Syrian forces.
- Al‑Sharaa is urging a full repeal of the Caesar Act to unlock reconstruction, as Congress weighs proposals ranging from unconditional repeal to conditional reviews pushed by key lawmakers.
- Reports of a planned U.S. military presence near Damascus remain unconfirmed, and analysts continue to flag sectarian violence and minority protection concerns even as counter‑ISIS raids intensify across Syria.