Overview

• President Donald Trump has lifted all U.S. sanctions on Syria and met with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh, marking a significant policy shift.
• Al-Sharaa, a former commander of the designated terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remains on the U.S. global terrorist list despite the sanctions relief.
• During the meeting, Trump urged al-Sharaa to normalize relations with Israel and suggested Syria could join the Abraham Accords, signaling potential regional realignments.
• Jordan’s King Abdullah II warned U.S. officials against considering an assassination of al-Sharaa, citing the risk of triggering a broader Syrian civil war.
• Internal divisions persist within the U.S. administration, with some officials pushing for concessions from Syria and expressing skepticism about al-Sharaa’s leadership.