Secretary of State Marco Rubio has formally removed Syria from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and the former al-Nusrah Front (HTS) from the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, The Zioneer reports. The decision ends a 47-year designation for Syria and removes an Al-Qaeda offshoot, despite documented atrocities by the new Islamist-led government.
In a significant expansion of Monday's decision, the United States has also removed the former al-Nusrah Front (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, HTS) from its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, The Zioneer has confirmed. The move comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally removed Syria from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism earlier Monday evening (19:42 Jerusalem), ending a 47-year designation. Rubio cited economic opportunities for Syria, but the additional removal of the Al-Qaeda offshoot — which now leads Syria's government — marks a deeper shift in U.S. counterterrorism policy.
The Zioneer first reported at 19:42 Jerusalem on Monday that Syria's removal was imminent, based on reports by Amichai Stein (i24NEWS). Minutes later, official confirmation arrived alongside Rubio's statement that the decision 'opens new possibilities for Syria's economic recovery and progress.' The thread now adds that the removal also applies to HTS, a group that originated as the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda and was previously designated a global terrorist entity.
As The Zioneer has reported, Syria's new Islamist-led government has been linked to documented atrocities, including the massacre of nearly 1,500 Alawites in March 2025 and over 1,700 killed in violence in the Druze-majority Sweida province — events that a UN investigation tied to Syrian government forces. The U.S. decision comes despite these findings, rewarding a former terrorist group for its rebranding rather than demonstrable moderation. The removal follows weeks of diplomatic engagement between Washington and Damascus, including U.S.-mediated security talks with Israeli intelligence, as The Zioneer noted in its dossier on Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
It remains unclear whether the U.S. will impose specific conditions on Syria's new leadership, or if further sanctions or designations will be lifted. The Zioneer assesses that the move incentivizes jihadist groups to adopt moderate rhetoric while retaining extremist structures, a dynamic that carries significant risks for regional stability and minority communities.
5 developments
- DevelopingSyrian president returns from Turkey with Trump's signature removing Syria from terror list, reportedly
- StrongTrump tells Congress he intends to remove Syria from state sponsors of terror list
- StrongTrump to meet Syrian President al-Sharaa in Turkey this week
- DevelopingSyrian President al-Sharaa's Independence Day greeting to Trump reported by Arab news channel
Source and signal
- Open-source intake