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2mo ago

U.S. Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria’s HTS

Effective July 7, the delisting aligns with President Trump’s lifting of Syria sanctions to pave the way for closer U.S. ties with the HTS-led interim government.

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Syria's new President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Ankara, Turkey, in February. The Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by al-Sharaa.
This photo released Dec. 4, 2018 by the al-Qaida-affiliated Ibaa News Agency, shows al-Qaida-linked fighters driving their vehicles during a military drill in northern Syria. It took the al-Qaida-linked militants only few days to capture more than two dozen towns and villages in and around Idlib province, cementing the group’s control over an area in northwestern Syria the size of neighboring Lebanon. The push by members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, is the most serious blow to a September cease-fire for Idlib brokered by Russia and Turkey, and puts tens of thousands of civilians at risk of losing medical support due to a drop in aid from western agencies. (Ibaa News Agency, via AP)
US President Donald Trump (C) met with Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa (L), a former Islamist guerilla commander, during a visit to Riyadh on May 14

Overview

  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s June 23 memo, published July 7 in the Federal Register, formally revoked HTS’s designation as a foreign terrorist organization.
  • The revocation follows President Trump’s May 13 executive order terminating key Syria sanctions to support reconstruction under the interim HTS-led government.
  • HTS, originally al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front, rebranded in 2017, dissolved its armed factions in January and integrated fighters into Syria’s police under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
  • Existing United Nations Security Council sanctions on HTS and its leadership remain in effect, requiring U.N. approval for any further delisting.
  • U.S. officials say the delisting paves the way for diplomatic engagement, potential investment in post-war rebuilding and future talks on a disengagement agreement with Israel.