US President Donald Trump has informed Congress of his intention to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a historic step that will open up economic opportunities for the Syrian people.
Washington DC [यूएस]July 9 (ANI): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday (local time) that President Donald Trump has informed Congress of his intention to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. He described this move as a historic step towards economic recovery and new opportunities for the Syrian people.
In a post shared on Twitter, Rubio said, “Today @POTUS informed Congress of his intention to revoke the designation of Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism. This historic step opens new possibilities for economic opportunity and recovery, giving the Syrian people a chance for greatness.”
Today @POTUS informed Congress of his intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. This historic step opens new possibilities for economic opportunity and recovery, giving the Syrian people a chance at greatness.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) July 8, 2026
Trump confirmed the decision
The announcement came after Trump said he was willing to remove Syria from the US State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism and praised Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a meeting on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO summit in Ankara.
Speaking to reporters during his conversation with Al-Sharaa, Trump said, “I think I would. Why wouldn’t I? They’ve done a great job.”
He added, “Maybe he would bring it up in a little while – that’s a good question. Yes, is there a problem with that? I think we should do it. Yes, I would.”
Efforts to normalize relations
Syria has been on the US State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism since December 1979. However, US lawmakers from both major political parties have recently called for the designation to be removed following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
The move comes amid broader efforts by Washington to normalize relations with Damascus. Last year, the Trump administration revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known as al-Nusra Front. The same organization led the movement that resulted in the fall of Assad and was led by al-Sharaa.
Trump also spoke on Israel-Lebanon
During his talks with the Syrian leader, Trump also said he expected Israel to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon. “I think they’re going to do it. I think they want to do it,” Trump said, though he did not give a timeline or further details.
Last month, Trump suggested that the issue of Hezbollah in Lebanon could be resolved by Syria. During a bilateral meeting with the Emir of Qatar on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France, Trump said Israel would deal with al-Shar’a rebel groups if Israel “can’t do it without killing everybody.” Trump had said, “They will do it. Syria will do it.”
Who is Ahmed Al-Sharaa?
Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power in December 2024 after leading rebel forces to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani) was previously one of the world’s most wanted men and had a US$10 million bounty on him for leading al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in Syria. In late 2024, following diplomatic meetings the United States officially announced a $10 million reward for his arrest. (ANI)
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