The United States will drop Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of foreign terrorist organisations on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced, completing President Donald Trump’s May 13 pledge to ease sanctions and encourage Syria’s post-war transition.
HTS, once known as the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, became the backbone of an armed coalition that toppled President Bashar al-Assad in December. Coalition leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has since taken over as interim president, drawing cautious recognition from Washington, European capitals and Israel.
The new administration says all militias — including HTS remnants — have been dissolved or folded into state security bodies such as the police. Rubio said the delisting reflects that restructuring and “Syria’s commitment to combat terrorism.”
Britain restored diplomatic ties with Damascus on Saturday and lifted sector-wide sanctions. On Friday, Syrian officials signalled readiness to revive the 1974 disengagement accord with Israel, steps Western diplomats see as pivotal to rebuilding a nation shattered by years of war and isolation.