Trump notifies Congress of intent to delist Syria as state sponsor of terrorism

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday (local time) said President Donald Trump has informed Congress of his intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, calling the move a historic step towards economic recovery and new opportunities for the Syrian people.

In a post shared on X, Rubio said, “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”.

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

The announcement came after Trump said he was inclined to remove Syria from the US State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism and praised Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a meeting on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara.

Speaking to reporters during his interaction with al-Sharaa, Trump said, “I think I will. Why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job. Maybe he would have brought that up in a little while — that’s a good question. Yeah, any problems with that? I think we should. Yeah, I will”, he added.

REPORTER: Are you going to remove Syria from the state-sponsor of terrorism list?@POTUS: “I think I will, yeah… Why wouldn’t I? He’s done a great job.” pic.twitter.com/K3X1NLdETa

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 8, 2026

Syria has remained on the US State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism since December 1979. However, lawmakers from both major US political parties have recently called for the designation to be lifted following the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.

The move comes amid broader efforts by Washington to normalise relations with Damascus. Last year, the Trump administration revoked the foreign terrorist organisation designation for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), also known as the al-Nusra Front, which led the movement that resulted in Assad’s fall and was headed by al-Sharaa.

During his interaction with the Syrian leader, Trump also said he expected Israel to withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon. “I think they are going to. I think they want to”, Trump said, without providing a timeline or further details.

Last month, Trump had suggested that the issue of Hezbollah in Lebanon could be addressed by Syria. During a bilateral meeting with Qatar’s Emir on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France, Trump said al-Sharaa would deal with rebel groups if Israel “can’t do the job without killing everyone”. “He’ll do the job. Syria will do the job,” Trump had said.

Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power after leading rebel forces to overthrow Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani) was previously one of the world’s most wanted men with a $10 million U.S. bounty on his head for his leadership of al-Qaeda-linked militant groups in Syria.

In late 2024, the United States officially scrapped the $10 million reward for his arrest after diplomatic meetings. (ANI)