Trump presses Sharaa: normalize Israel ties, deport foreign fighters

Trump presses Sharaa to normalize Israel ties, deport Palestinian militants and foreign fighters, control ISIS camps — U.S. President Donald Trump with Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2025. Photo: Saudi Press Agency (SPA)

DOHA,— U.S. President Donald Trump told Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa that sanctions would be lifted if Damascus agreed to normalize relations with Israel, deport Palestinian militant groups, expel all foreign fighters, and assume control of Islamic State detention camps currently operated by Kurdish forces of Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The conditions were laid out during a meeting in Riyadh, which also included Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan via video link.

According to the White House, Trump pressed Sharaa to commit to the Abraham Accords and demanded that Syria “clear out all armed non-state actors” in return for the easing of U.S. restrictions.

“He said yes,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if Sharaa agreed to normalization. “But they’ve got a lot of work to do.”

The meeting marked the first time a sitting American president has met a Syrian leader since the late 1990s.

Sharaa, a former Islamist commander once listed as a U.S. terrorism suspect, took power in December following the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, has a militant background that includes affiliations with several radical Islamist jihadist groups. He was previously a member of both al-Qaeda and ISIS before founding the al-Nusra Front, which originally operated as al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria. The group later broke formal ties with al-Qaeda and rebranded itself as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Trump described the new Syrian leader as “tough, young, very strong,” and said the talks had gone “great.” He added that Sharaa was open to cooperation, particularly on security issues and regional diplomacy.

Saudi and Turkish officials reportedly supported the engagement, though the move has drawn criticism from Israel, which has recently intensified military operations against Syrian targets and voiced skepticism over Sharaa’s intentions.

Syria’s foreign ministry said the talks focused on counterterrorism and economic recovery but did not mention the Abraham Accords, Israel, or the requested deportations. State media also remained silent on potential normalization.

At a Gulf investment summit following the meeting, Trump addressed regional leaders, stating that the Assad-era sanctions had “crippled” Syria’s economy and reconstruction. “It gives them a real shot at rebuilding,” he said, noting that his pledge to lift sanctions received “the biggest applause in the room.”

In Aleppo and other cities, local media reported celebrations after the announcement. Zain al-Jabali, a 54-year-old factory owner in Aleppo, said the easing of restrictions would “revive production and help bring back displaced families.”

Despite signaling a shift in U.S. posture, Trump did not say whether Syria would be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism — a designation in place since 1979 that limits investment and access to financial systems.

A senior U.S. diplomat under the Biden administration previously visited Damascus in December and urged Sharaa to guarantee protection for religious minorities.

Attacks targeting Druze and Alawite communities have escalated in recent weeks, raising concern among international observers.

Rabha Seif Allam of Cairo’s Al-Ahram Center said lifting sanctions could pave the way for Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system. “It will allow remittances to flow again and open the door to reconstruction funding from Gulf states,” she said.

Later Wednesday, Trump landed at Hamad International Airport in Doha, where he was received by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Qatar has stirred controversy by offering a $400 million luxury aircraft to serve as a future Air Force One, with reports indicating the jet may later be used by Trump personally — a move raising legal and national security questions in Washington.

Trump’s convoy through Doha was led by two red Tesla Cybertrucks, customized for Qatar’s internal security forces. Tesla founder Elon Musk, a major donor to Trump’s 2024 re-election campaign, continues to maintain close ties with the administration.

(With files from Reuters)