US to delist Syrian group HTS as terrorist organisation

The U.S. State Department will revoke the foreign terrorist designation for the al-Nusrah Front—also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—whose leader now heads the Syrian government following the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad late last year.

The decision, outlined in a memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, aligns with President Donald Trump’s order last month to lift sanctions on Syria in support of “the country’s path to stability and peace,” per Politico.

Alongside the sanctions relief, Trump directed a review of HTS’s designation as a terrorist organization. The revocation will take effect once the memo is published, scheduled for Tuesday.

“Tomorrow’s action follows the announced dissolution of HTS and the Syrian government’s commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms,” Rubio said in a statement.

HTS has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization since 2018. Originally part of al-Qaeda’s network, the group now claims to be an independent entity. It is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, the Syrian president who ousted Assad in December after years of civil war.

Trump described his May meeting with al-Sharaa as “great,” praising the Syrian leader as “attractive” and “tough.”

“Recent positive changes and actions taken by the Government of Syria, following the fall of the brutal Assad regime, demonstrate promise for a stable and peaceful future,” the Trump administration stated in a fact sheet explaining the decision.

By Khagan Isayev