President Donald Trump informed Congress on Wednesday evening that he intends to remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to Israeli media reports. The notification follows the administration's formal submission to Congress earlier in the day, triggering a 45-day review period.
President Donald Trump personally informed Congress on Wednesday evening that he intends to remove Syria from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to Israeli media reports. The statement follows the Trump administration's formal notification to Congress earlier in the day, which triggered a mandatory 45-day congressional review period, as The Zioneer reported at 17:31 Jerusalem. Trump's personal confirmation reinforces the move, which is part of a broader diplomatic push to reshape U.S. policy in the Middle East.
The development builds on a sequence of reports from Wednesday. At 17:31 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Trump told Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara that Syria could help address Hezbollah and that he intended to delist the country (v1). Shortly after, a senior U.S. official told Reuters that the administration had notified Congress, triggering the 45-day review, and that Trump personally informed al-Shara (v2, v3). Secretary of State Marco Rubio then confirmed the move, calling it 'historic' and citing new economic opportunities (v4, v5). By 17:31, Trump formally submitted the request to Congress, describing the economic impact as 'life-changing' for Syria (v6). The evening update adds Trump's direct personal notification to Congress.
As The Zioneer reported on June 30, a senior U.S. official said the Trump administration is attempting to initiate direct Israel-Syria talks. The delisting effort is part of a wider regional realignment, including reported interventions by Qatar, Pakistan, and the UAE to avert a U.S.-Iran escalation (June 12) and ongoing efforts to contain Iranian retaliation threats (June 14).
The delisting is not yet final. Congress has a 45-day review period to approve or block the move. The impact on Israel-Syria relations and on Hezbollah's status remains unclear.
6 developments
- StrongTrump to meet Syrian President al-Sharaa in Turkey this week
- StrongTrump says Syria 'would be happy' to handle Hezbollah, Lebanese president to visit Washington
- DevelopingTrump to submit Iran peace and nuclear deal to Congress, vows to destroy enriched uranium
- StrongReport: Trump administration presses Israel and Syria to resume security talks
Source and signal
- Internal intake