In a seismic shift for Middle East policy, Syria formally joined the US-led international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) as the 90th member, President Donald Trump announced Monday during an Oval Office meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa—the first White House visit by a Syrian leader since 1946.
Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa is in the US ahead of a historic meeting with President Donald Trump, which marks the first time a Syrian president has visited the White House in at least 80 years.
Here’s what you need to know https://t.co/X1qFNtvcob pic.twitter.com/ZbWiV3tmX4
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) November 10, 2025
The breakthrough caps al-Sharaa’s remarkable transformation from HTS commander—with a $10M US bounty—to interim president rebuilding post-Assad Syria. “We want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful,” Trump said. “And I think this leader can do it. I really do.”
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Al-Sharaa, speaking on Fox News’ Special Report, hailed the partnership as a “new era” of cooperation, focusing on the “present and future” of Syria as a geopolitical and economic ally to Washington. Diplomatic ties, severed since 2012, will resume with Syria reopening its Washington embassy.
To fuel reconstruction after 13 years of war, the Trump administration unveiled sweeping relief:
- 180-day suspension of the Caesar Act sanctions
- Treasury, State, and Commerce measures lifting economic restrictions
- “Compliance clarity” for investors to pour into Syria’s $216 billion rebuild
The US will monitor progress, including normalization with Israel and dismantling militant networks. Al-Sharaa vowed to purge rights abusers in his forces amid reports of Alawite killings and sectarian clashes.
This third Trump-al-Sharaa summit—after Riyadh in May and UNGA in September—signals America’s bet on pragmatic engagement over isolation, aiming to stabilize Syria and curb IS resurgence.
