Why Syria plays a key role in Trump's plans for Middle East peace
At a White House press briefing Monday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, "This is another promise made and promise kept by this president," she said, referring to Trump's recent meeting with Syria's new transitional leader Ahmed al-Sharaa during a trip to Saudi Arabia. "He's committed to supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors."
"The sanctions did their job," David Schenker, former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and now a senior fellow at the Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital. "They were crippling by and large. There's zero economic life in the country. But Trump is giving Syria a chance to succeed."
Javed Ali, former senior official at the National Security Council and professor at the University of Michigan, told Fox News Digital, "It's a strategic calculation. A Syria that no longer hosts Iranian proxies, cooperates on counterterrorism, and integrates with Arab neighbors serves U.S. interests on every front."
According to Schenker, Syria has taken steps the U.S. has long demanded: allowing inspections by the IAEA and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, sharing intelligence on ISIS, and cooperating with American liaison officers on counterterrorism. "These groups have declared al-Sharaa an infidel. They themselves are being attacked by ISIS," he noted.
For the U.S., the stakes extend far beyond sanctions relief. Schenker said a stable Syria focused on education and social services, rather than military buildup, would be far less fertile ground for ISIS or Iranian influence.
Ali described the current moment as part of a broader Trump strategy: "Now with Assad gone, it's another blow to the Islamic Republic of Iran. This creates an opportunity to coalesce the Sunni Arab states – either around the Abraham Accords or a growing anti-Iran coalition."
The U.S. military still maintains a small but critical footprint in Syria – approximately 1,000 troops across three to four bases in the northeast – providing vital intelligence and rapid strike capability. "That footprint has been one of our most important counterterrorism outposts," Ali said. "We've seen multiple targeted operations this year alone."
He said, however, that deeper U.S.-Syrian cooperation could bring new complications. "There's always a risk that as ties deepen, either the U.S. could reduce its presence – or al-Sharaa might ask us to scale back," Ali said. "That could impact our ability to monitor jihadist activity or manage the tens of thousands of ISIS detainees still in camps guarded by SDF forces."
Meanwhile, the diplomatic implications of Trump's move are drawing global attention. Syria's new leadership has publicly distanced itself from Iran, reportedly blocked Hezbollah weapon shipments, and dismantled multiple Iranian military posts across the country.
"The president is genuinely focused on expanding the Abraham Accords," said Schenker. "He sees Syria as the next possible candidate."
NSC spokesman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. "President Trump is working towards lasting peace in the Middle East, which includes supporting a Syria that is stable, unified, and at peace with itself and its neighbors. The President is empowering Syria's success by lifting sanctions on export controls while maintaining sanctions on terrorists and all other potential threats to the United States. The President made a promise to give Syria a chance to rebuild and thrive by lifting sanctions, and this President keeps his promises."
Still, normalization with Israel remains politically fraught. Syria remains officially at war with the Jewish state, and while Sharaa has hinted at accepting the pre-1974 ceasefire lines, jihadist factions and Islamist groups within Syria remain staunchly opposed. "There have already been reported assassination attempts on Sharaa," Schenker said. "It's going to get harder if he moves from non-belligerency to full normalization."
Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute, told Fox News Digital, "Syria has always been an open wound in the center of the region – an engine of instability… But if it stabilizes now, it unlocks a path for broader regional integration. It connects Israel and Jordan to a more secure arc and reduces the need for heavy U.S. military involvement."
Despite encouraging signs on the diplomatic track – such as reported back-channel talks and reduced rhetoric – Israeli airstrikes on Syrian territory have continued, with hundreds launched this year alone. Syria's new leadership has not responded militarily, but tensions remain high.
"The facts on the ground don't yet reflect the progress being made behind closed doors," Lister said. "We just have to hope that those two dynamics meet in the middle, and things calm down on the ground as well."
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