US delists HTS as terror organization
Shafaq News – Damascus/Washington
On Monday, the United States removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, the State Department announced on Monday, citing recent political developments in Syria.
The department stated that, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, "the group, previously known as Jabhat al-Nusra, was delisted under Section 219 of the US Immigration and Nationality Act."
HTS, led by Syria's transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Mohammad al-Julani), had originally been designated a terrorist organization in December 2012 under its former name Jabhat al-Nusra, though they later rebranded as HTS after "distancing" themselves from al-Qaeda in 2016 and consolidating control over parts of northwest Syria.
The reversal follows HTS’s December 2024 offensive, which led to the collapse of the Bashar al-Assad regime and brought al-Sharaa to power. Since taking office, he has pledged sweeping political reforms, particularly in foreign policy.
Notably, US President Donald Trump lifted sanctions on Syria in May during a visit to Saudi Arabia, attributing the move to a direct request from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking the first shift in US stance toward the new Syrian leadership under HTS.
