President Donald Trump is preparing to welcome Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday in what officials described as a historic step toward testing whether Damascus can be drawn back into diplomacy after years of war and isolation.
During the visit, the official said: “Syria will announce that it is joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. Syria will become the 90th member of the D-ISIS Coalition, which is working with the United States to eliminate ISIS remnants and stem the flows of foreign fighters.”
The visit follows a week full of major policy changes. On Thursday, the UN Security Council voted 14-0, with China abstaining, to lift sanctions on al-Sharaa and the Syrian interior minister. Additional, Reuters reported this that al-Sharaa and its Interior Minister, Anas Khattab, were previously subject to financial sanctions against Al Qaeda and ISIS, with the United States designating them Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
SYRIA’S INTERIM PRESIDENT AL-SHARAA EXPECTS TO MEET TRUMP ON SYRIAN LEADER’S FIRST VISIT TO WHITE HOUSE
In this photo released by the Saudi Royal Palace, Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa shakes hands with President Donald Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 14. On the right is Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. (AP)
The meeting comes about six weeks after al-Sharaa – the former commander of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, once linked to al-Qaeda – addressed the UN General Assembly on September 24, the first by a Syrian head of state in six decades. There he urged the West to lift sanctions and called for international support to rebuild the country.
According to the government official, that is about to happen: “The Treasury, State and Commerce Departments will jointly announce measures taken to lift economic restrictions and provide investors with clarity on compliance. The United States will allow Syria to resume operations at its embassy in Washington to further combat terrorism, security and economic coordination.”
Syrian officials are seeking a reassessment of the situation Caesar Act Sanctionsthe main US law that continues to restrict commercial ties with Damascus.
Syrian security forces walk together on a street after clashes between Syrian government forces and local Druze fighters resumed early Wednesday in the southern Druze town of Sweida, lifting a ceasefire announced hours earlier that aimed to end days of deadly sectarian bloodshed in Sweida, Syria, on July 16, 2025. (Karam al-Masri/Reuters)
EVANGELICAL LEADER SAYS US MUST PROTECT SYRIAN CHRISTIANS FROM ATTACKS BY JIHADI TERRORISTS
“This is Syria’s first chance to emerge from decades of brutal oppression and more than a decade of civil war,” the congressman said. “I went to Damascus to ensure that missing Americans like Kayla Mueller are not forgotten, to advocate for expansion of the Abraham Accords and to remind Syria’s new leaders of the need to include minorities such as Druze, Christians and Kurds and protect their rights.”
About 100 influential Christian leaders gathered on Friday sent a letter to President Trump He called on him to raise the issue of minority rights and protection with the Syrian leader. The letter was led by Dede Laugesen, president of Save the Persecuted Christians, and included Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, Samuel Rodriguez, Rob McCoy and Alveda King.
Syrian civilians and security forces inspect damage at Mar Elias Church where a suicide bomber detonated himself in Dweil’a on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (Omar Sanadiki/AP Photo)
In it, they thanked Trump for his efforts to protect Christians and also asked him to raise the issue with al-Sharaa. “We urge you to directly address the slaughter of Christians, Kurds, Druze and Alawites in Syria, especially in the greater Suwayda area. These religious minorities face continued violence, death, displacement, famine and water and medical deprivation – while innocent women and children are held hostage by ISIS terrorists.”
“Mr. President, we respectfully request that you secure President al-Sharaa’s commitment to open a safe humanitarian corridor from Hader to Suwayda in southern Syria. This corridor will allow for the safe delivery of relief and evacuation of civilians, signaling the new administration’s commitment to minority rights and stability,” the letter said.
SYRIA’S NEW PRESIDENT TAKES CENTER AT UNGA AS CONCERNS OVER TERRORIST PAST REMAIN
President of Syria Ahmad Al-Sharaa speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at United Nations Headquarters on September 24, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“The U.S. interest is a government that is willing to fight ISIS and prevent Iran from reemerging,” he said. “I think the US will try to find a solution to the Kurdish issue in northeastern Syria and build a united country without decentralization or federalism.”
He warned that Al-Sharaa’s domestic record “demonstrates a political system that is not inclusive” and a pattern of power centralization. Despite these concerns, he added, many Syrians see him as “the only figure who can hold the country together.”
People welcome Ahmed al-Sharaa (C), the leader of the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who led a lightning rebel offensive that wrested Damascus from government control, for his speech at the capital’s striking Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024. Al-Sharaa delivered a speech as the crowd chanted “Allahu akbar (God is the greatest)” in a video shared by the rebels on their Telegram channel. (Aref Tammawi/AFP via Getty Images)
In October, al-Sharaa traveled to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin – a move that Sharawi says emphasizes both pragmatism and risk.
“You would think that 11 months ago, when the Russians targeted Idlib and al-Sharaa forces with airstrikes, we would not see a meeting between al-Sharaa and Putin in Moscow,” Sharawi said. “But it is a clear indication of how al-Sharaa operates – focused on securing its interests, but also pragmatic.”
He added that the aid sends a message to the West that “if you don’t give me what I want, I have other countries to lean on,” and said it is an effort to secure weapons and political support after years of war and loss of equipment.
SYRIAN PRESIDENT’S HISTORIC UN SPEECH IS COLLECTED BY THOUSANDS WHO GATHER OUTSIDE FOR PEACE AND TRUMP’S SUPPORT
Ahmed al-Sharaa, once known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, is seen in Syria on February 7, 2023. Since becoming president of the country, he has reverted to his first name. (OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images)
“That’s why I asked Gen. Michael Kurilla of CENTCOM at House Armed Services Committee hearings about these opportunities and risks – and wrote the NDAA section on assessing the feasibility of defense partnerships with the new Syrian government,” Hamadeh said. “We must ensure that ISIS and Iran never return and ensure that the Russians and Chinese are kept at bay.”
“They are looking for a better future,” he said. “They have suffered the war – there is no water, no food, no economy and no security. He knows his interest lies with the US. He comes here to achieve mutual interests for both the US and Syria.”
Alnchawati argued that lasting stability requires eliminating the influence of Iran and Hezbollah.
“If you really want stability in the Middle East, you have to finish the job with Hezbollah and the Iranians,” he said. ‘They must be completely dismantled. Otherwise they will flare up the conflict again.’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Syrian Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel, on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters, Monday, September 22, 2025. (Bing Guan/Pool photo via AP)
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The United Nations and US sanctions decisions have sparked debate in Washington and Europe. Reuters and the Associated Press reported that some lawmakers and human rights groups argue that legitimizing a former jihadist commander could undermine accountability for past abuses, while supporters say the relief provides Damascus with an incentive to cooperate on counterterrorism and counternarcotics.
