Washington lifts Syria’s 1979 designation as it presses for closer ties between Damascus and Israel.
The United States has formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, ending a designation imposed in 1979 as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to deepen ties with Damascus and advance efforts to normalize relations between Syria and Israel.
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The State Department announced the decision under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the measure formalized through a notice issued by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The designation had imposed restrictions on foreign assistance, defense exports and financial transactions involving Syria. The decision is subject to a period of review by the U.S. Congress.
Washington also removed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its sanctions list, ending its designation as a specially designated global terrorist organization. The group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, played a dominant role in the formation of Syria’s new government.
أهنئ الشعب السوري بإزالة اسم سورية رسميًا من قائمة الدول الراعية للإرهاب، وأشكر فخامة الرئيس دونالد ترامب على هذا القرار التاريخي، وكل الأشقاء والأصدقاء الذين وقفوا مع سورية والسوريين. pic.twitter.com/Nw6B0VROEN
— أحمد الشرع (@AH_AlSharaa) August 24, 2026
Text Reads: I congratulate the Syrian people on the official removal of Syria’s name from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and I thank His Excellency President Donald Trump for this historic decision, as well as all the brothers and friends who stood with Syria and the Syrians.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohamed al-Golani and the former leader of HTS, welcomed the decision in a post on X, thanking Trump for what he described as a historic decision and congratulating the Syrian people.
A broader shift in U.S.-Syria relations
Rubio said the decision reflected commitments by al-Sharaa’s administration to distance itself from international terrorism.
It follows the formal restoration of diplomatic relations between Washington and Damascus in 2025, after al-Sharaa visited the White House in November and met with Trump.
The administration had already taken steps toward easing restrictions. In July 2025, Washington ended its general sanctions program against Syria while maintaining individual measures against former President Bashar al-Assad and people close to him.
Following Syria’s removal, Cuba, Iran and North Korea are the only countries remaining on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
Push for Syria-Israel normalization
The decision is part of a wider U.S. effort to bring Syria and Israel closer together.
Trump urged al-Sharaa to recognize Israel and establish normal relations with the country during a meeting in Riyadh attended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, according to the White House. Trump also invited Syria to join the Abraham Accords, the framework under which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established relations with Israel in 2020.
The initiative has included direct diplomatic contacts. In January 2026, senior U.S., Israeli and Syrian officials met in Paris for trilateral talks and reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing lasting security and stability arrangements. The meeting produced an agreement to establish a dedicated communications channel for sharing intelligence and coordinating efforts to reduce military tensions.
The process has faced obstacles.
Text Reads: 
The Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned on Tuesday the airstrikes carried out by the Israeli military against Abu al-Duhur Military Airport, located in the Idlib province.
Syrian diplomacy described these actions as an unjustified aggression and a flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It warned that this dangerous maneuver jeopardizes regional stability and security.
A Syrian official told Reuters that Damascus was unwilling to move forward on what it called strategic issues without an enforceable timetable for an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian territories occupied after December 2024. Syria has also said it does not intend to sign the Abraham Accords.
Tensions have risen in recent days. Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met on Sunday in Jordan following an Israeli attack on a Syrian air base near the Turkish border.
According to Syria’s state news agency SANA, the talks focused on practical mechanisms to halt Israeli attacks, arrests and operations inside Syria, as well as efforts to revive negotiations toward a lasting security agreement.
The meeting was the first contact between the two countries in several months, following an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle outside Damascus on Saturday. Israel said it was pursuing a “terrorist.”
Israel continues to occupy the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in the 1967 war, as well as additional territory in southwestern Syria that it occupied after Bashar al-Assad’s fall.
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