Latest news with #al-NusrahFront
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Syria 2025 Is Iraq All Over Again
The al-Nusrah Front was removed from the U.S. terror list on July 7, 2025. Officially, it marked a shift. But under the surface, it looked a lot more like a pattern we've previously seen. America has been here before. We saw this exact playbook in Iraq: regime change, a rush to legitimize the replacement, sweeping sanctions relief, and a premature declaration of stability. It didn't work then. And it won't work now. The backdrop to this sudden policy shift is the meteoric rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria's new president. Less than a year back, al-Sharaa was still going by his old name, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. For years, he led al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate. That group eventually rebranded as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and now holds real control over large parts of the country. His troops helped remove Bashar al-Assad. And now, he's being treated as a legitimate head of state by Washington. Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 11, 2025, in Antalya, Turkey. Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on April 11, 2025, in Antalya, Turkey. Mert Gokhan Koc/ dia images via Getty Images This normalization has come fast and without accountability. The Trump administration's May 2025 announcement in Riyadh, and subsequent executive order in June, lifting all sanctions on Syria and praising al-Sharaa as a "young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter," which was followed barely two months later by the formal Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) delisting of al-Nusrah. The timing is not subtle. It signals a strategic pivot: from isolation to partnership, from punishment to pragmatism. But there's a problem. In March 2025, just four months ago, HTS-linked units participated in one of the worst sectarian atrocities of the post-Assad period. According to Reuters and Human Rights Watch, over 1,500 Alawite civilians were executed across Latakia and Tartus. Entire villages were emptied. Many were shot execution-style. These were not rogue factions. These were al-Sharaa's forces. The same man now photographed with American officials and heralded as Syria's transitional solution. The echoes with Iraq are deafening. In 2003, dictator Saddam Hussein was removed. Sanctions were lifted. Investments flooded in. We declared victory. What followed was a maelstrom: insurgency, sectarian bloodshed, and the birth of ISIS. The root cause wasn't just the power vacuum. It was the premature legitimization of a post-conflict authority before institutions, accountability, or even basic national cohesion had been established. Ahmed al-Sharaa did not simply inherit a war-torn state. He built it. Under his command, HTS didn't just fill a vacuum, they enforced it. Rivals were pushed out, sometimes violently. Dissent didn't last long. By the time they tightened their grip on Idlib, he'd already broken from al-Qaeda. But that break didn't change how he got there, or what people had to live under once he did. The U.S. response has been to reward this transformation with recognition and relief. In May, the Treasury Department issued General License 25, authorizing nearly all commercial activity with the Syrian government. That includes trade, investment, and infrastructure projects, even involving ministers and deputies still under Global Magnitsky sanctions. The justification? Stabilization. The reality? Strategic amnesia. The sanctions weren't about Assad's name, they were about his actions. Unless al-Sharaa shows he's actually governing differently, lifting sanctions doesn't mark progress, it just hands a pass from one regime to the next. U.S. officials said he's made promises: kick out foreign fighters, block ISIS from rebuilding, hold elections sometime in the next year and a half. These are good promises. But they're just that: promises. And they echo the same overconfidence we heard in Iraq. That local leaders would rise to the occasion. That militias would disarm. That money and markets would do the work of reconciliation. In Syria, the danger is even more acute. The al-Nusrah delisting was not a technical correction. It was a signal. One that tells future armed groups that if they wait long enough, hold enough territory, and rebrand effectively, Washington will meet them at the negotiating table. This is a dangerous incentive structure. It rewards tactical patience, not ideological reform. And it invites a future where today's insurgents become tomorrow's presidents, without ever accounting for the violence that brought them there. This is not a call for endless isolation. Engagement is necessary. But engagement must be disciplined. Sanctions relief should be conditional. Recognition should be phased. Aid should be tied to benchmarks: human rights, political pluralism, justice for victims. Instead, we've sprinted past all of that. In just five months, we've gone from labeling HTS a terrorist organization to legitimizing its leader as Syria's future. We must learn from Iraq. Not because history rhymes, but because this isn't rhyming, it's repeating. Foreign policy isn't about optics. It's about outcomes. And unless we slow down, apply pressure strategically, and demand real accountability from our new "partners," Syria may not just mirror Iraq. It may surpass it in the scale of our regret. Brett Erickson is the managing principal of Obsidian Risk Advisors. He serves on the advisory board of DePaul University School of Business and Loyola Law School-Center for Compliance Studies. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
08-07-2025
- Politics
Trump administration revokes terrorism designation of new Syrian leader's group
WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by Syria's new president as part of a broader U.S. engagement with the transitional government since the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad late last year. In a statement released Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the move, which will take effect Tuesday, 'recognizes the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government" under President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Earlier Monday, the Federal Register published an advance notice, which said Rubio made the decision on June 23 in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary. The decision had not been previously announced, although it was made as the Trump administration has been moving to ease or end many U.S. sanctions that had been imposed during Assad's rule. The step looks to further end Syria's isolation since a lightning rebel offensive ousted the Assad family from decades of rule and give the new government a boost as it tries to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of civil war. President Donald Trump, before having dinner Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, repeated that he previously had been told that Syria's new leader 'comes from a very tough background.' 'I said, 'Well, you know, I'm not that surprised. It's a tough part of the world,'' said Trump, who met with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia in May. 'But I was very impressed by him. But we took the sanctions off because we want to give them a chance.' The brief notice offered no details about the revocation of the foreign terrorist organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Al-Nusrah was originally designated a foreign terrorist organization for its previous affiliation with al-Qaida. In 2017, it split and changed its name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the first Trump administration added to the initial designation. Syria has been improving relations with the United States and other Western countries following the fall of Assad in December in an offensive led by al-Sharaa 's group. On June 30, seven days after Rubio signed the revocation, Trump inked an executive order ending many U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa when they met. 'This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump's vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Rubio said in his statement. Netanyahu, speaking across the table Monday from Trump and Rubio, agreed that the change of leadership in Syria 'presents opportunities for stability, for security and eventually for peace.' 'There's a lot to lose by going back to conflict," the Israeli leader said. "And there's a lot to gain by moving towards peace.' Trump's executive order did not rescind sanctions imposed on Assad, his top aides, family members and officials who had been determined to have committed human rights abuses or been involved in drug trafficking or part of Syria's chemical weapons program. It also leaves intact a major set of sanctions passed by Congress targeting anyone doing business with or offering support to Syria's military, intelligence or other suspect institutions. While the Trump administration has passed temporary waivers on those sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, they can only be permanently repealed by law.
Hamilton Spectator
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump administration revokes terrorism designation of new Syrian leader's group
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by Syria's new president as part of a broader U.S. engagement with the transitional government since the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad late last year. In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he took the step in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary on June 23. The decision had not been previously announced, although it was made as the Trump administration has been moving to ease or end many U.S. sanctions that had been imposed during Assad's rule. The step looks to further end Syria's isolation since a lightning rebel offensive ousted the Assad family from decades of rule and gives the new government a boost as it tries to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of civil war . The brief notice, which was put online in an advance public inspection section of the Federal Register website on Monday, offered no details but said the revocation of the foreign terrorist organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, would take effect when it is formally published. Al-Nusrah was originally designated a foreign terrorist organization for its previous affiliation with al-Qaida. In 2017, it split and changed its name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the first Trump administration added to the initial designation. U.S. officials said the formal revocation of the designation would be published Tuesday and would be accompanied by statements from the State and Treasury departments. Syria has been improving relations with the United States and other Western countries following the fall of Assad in December in an offensive led by now-interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa 's group. On June 30, seven days after Rubio signed the revocation, President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending many U.S. economic sanctions on Syria , following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa when the two met in Saudi Arabia in May. The order was meant to end the country's isolation from the international financial system and allow it to open up for commerce and investment, officials said at the time. The relief did not rescind sanctions imposed on Assad, his top aides, family members and officials who had been determined to have committed human rights abuses or been involved in drug trafficking or part of Syria's chemical weapons program. It also leaves intact a major set of sanctions passed by Congress targeting anyone doing business with or offering support to Syria's military, intelligence or other suspect institutions. While the Trump administration has passed temporary waivers on those sanctions, known as the Caesar Act, they can only be permanently repealed by law. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Express Tribune
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
US revokes terror label for Syria's HTS in shift toward easing sanctions
Listen to article The administration of US President Donald Trump has officially revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to a State Department memo filed on Monday. The move marks a significant step in Washington's ongoing efforts to ease sanctions on Syria. The memo, dated June 23 and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appeared in a preview of the Federal Register ahead of its official publication on Tuesday. The decision follows an executive order signed by Trump last week that ended a long-standing US sanctions program targeting Syria. The White House said the move was aimed at reintegrating Syria into the international financial system and supporting post-war reconstruction. "In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases), as a Foreign Terrorist Organization," Rubio wrote in the memo. Read More: At least 24 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza HTS, formerly the Nusrah Front and once affiliated with al-Qaeda, has claimed to sever ties with the group in recent years. It now portrays itself as a Syrian nationalist movement seeking to build an inclusive and democratic Syria. In December, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa led HTS and allied Islamist factions in a lightning offensive that ousted former President Bashar al-Assad. Syria's foreign ministry has not issued an immediate response to the developments. The decision builds on a major policy shift announced during a May meeting between President Trump and Syrian President Sharaa in Riyadh. During the visit, Trump unexpectedly declared his intention to lift sanctions on Syria, setting the stage for broader US engagement with the war-torn country.
Global News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
U.S. revokes foreign terrorist listing for HST, group behind Assad ouster
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, according to a State Department memo filed on Monday, a major step as Washington moves to ease sanctions on Syria. The June 23 dated memo was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was published in a preview of the Federal Register before official publication on Tuesday. The move comes a week after Trump signed an executive order terminating a U.S. sanctions program on Syria, to help end the country's isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington's pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization,' Rubio wrote in the memo. Story continues below advertisement 2:02 Who is Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of HTS rebels that toppled Syria's Assad? Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, was previously al-Qaeda's Syria branch, or Nusra Front. In December, Syria's now-President Ahmed al-Sharaa led the HTS which together with other Islamist rebels conducted a lightning offensive that ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad. Sharaa's HTS severed al-Qaeda ties years ago and says it wants to build an inclusive and democratic Syria. Syria's foreign ministry had no immediate comment. Sharaa and Trump met in Riyadh in May where, in a major policy shift, Trump unexpectedly announced he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.
