The Trump administration has officially removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the militant group once affiliated with al-Qaeda and now headed by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, from the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). The move marks a significant shift in U.S. policy toward Syria as Washington seeks greater influence in Damascus.
According to The Hill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the delisting notice in the Federal Register on June 23, following an executive order by President Donald Trump. The order also lifted longstanding economic sanctions on Syria and directed a formal review of HTS’s designation.
HTS originated as al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011, under the leadership of al-Sharaa—then known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. The group underwent multiple rebrandings: from Jabhat al-Nusra to Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS) in 2016, before merging with other Islamist factions to form HTS in January 2017.
Al-Sharaa, a former senior commander in al-Qaeda's Iraq branch, had once been captured by U.S. forces and designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) in 2013. The U.S. Department of Justice had placed a $10 million bounty on his head—a designation that was quietly rescinded in December 2024 following HTS’s rapid seizure of Damascus and the collapse of the Assad regime.
President Trump met with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia during a Middle East tour in May, where the two reportedly discussed normalization and sanctions relief. The executive order issued on June 30 finalized the lifting of sanctions and laid the groundwork for HTS’s delisting.
Although HTS officially announced its dissolution in January 2025, integrating into the newly declared Syrian state, the revocation of its FTO status clears the way for the group’s former members to legally operate, communicate, and engage in business with U.S. entities.
The Trump administration's outreach appears to go beyond mere diplomatic normalization. On Monday, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas J. Barrack Jr. announced that dialogue had begun between Syria and Israel. He added that “everyone is rushing to reach an agreement,” further fueling speculation that Syria under al-Sharaa may soon join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel.
While critics have expressed concern over legitimizing a former jihadist figure, the Trump administration’s pivot suggests that geopolitical strategy—particularly isolating Iran and counterbalancing Russian influence—has taken precedence over past affiliations.