WASHINGTON – The United States is finalizing the removal of Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, completing a dramatic policy reversal that has seen Washington embrace former Al-Qaeda and Daesh commander Abu Muhammad al-Jolani as a partner, even as Israeli forces continue daily incursions into Syrian territory and expand their occupation.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of the “foreign terrorist organization” designation for Jolani’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which overthrew President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December 2024.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s pledge to lift all sanctions on Damascus, a stark contrast to the crippling Caesar Act sanctions imposed on Syrians under Assad’s government.
Jolani, who once served as a Daesh commander in Iraq and was designated a global terrorist with a $10 million U.S. bounty, was hosted at the White House by Trump in November 2025 and featured on TIME magazine’s list of the “most influential” people .
“The time has come to replace estrangement with engagement,” U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said, describing Syria’s transformation “from isolation to partnership”.
The policy shift has unfolded as Jolani’s regime has taken actions aligned with U.S. and Israeli interests that the Assad government never countenanced. Damascus under Jolani has detained Palestinian resistance officials, frozen their assets, and intercepted weapons allegedly destined for Hezbollah at Washington’s request.
Syria has also held multiple rounds of U.S.-mediated direct talks with Israel, including a high-level meeting in Jordan on Sunday led by Jolani’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Mossad chief Roman Gofman. 
The discussions focused on establishing a “special operations room” under U.S. supervision to prevent confrontations, and on reviving negotiations toward a security agreement with Israel.
Trump has publicly stated he expects Jolani’s regime to handle Hezbollah in Lebanon if Israel “can’t do the job,” telling reporters: “He’ll do the job. Syria will do the job.” 
Despite Damascus’s overtures, Israeli forces continue daily incursions into Syrian territory, conducting near-daily raids, bombing military infrastructure, and expanding occupation of the Golan Heights and southern Syria. Israeli warplanes struck the Abu al-Duhur airbase in northern Syria on August 18.
Syrian forces have not confronted Israeli troops occupying Syrian land. Damascus has instead pursued diplomacy, with foreign minister al-Shaibani stating Syria hopes to conclude a security agreement with Israel.
The Israeli military carried out fresh incursions into Dara’a province on Monday, kidnapping a civilian in Quneitra province, even as Mossad and Syrian officials met in Jordan.
Under Assad, the U.S. imposed the most severe sanctions on Syria while supporting terrorist groups seeking to topple him. Now, Washington has lifted sanctions on Jolani’s regime, which has been implicated in sectarian massacres against Alawite and Druze communities and the bombing of a church.
Jolani’s HTS, which remains responsible for brutal suicide bombings against civilians and holy sites in Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, has been hailed by Washington as a “partner” in fighting “terror”. Jolani was formerly deputy to late Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Despite thousands of sectarian killings carried out by new Syrian government troops, Washington has openly embraced members of his extremist group, analysts note.
Critics say the U.S. is now propping up Jolani’s takfiri regime as a proxy for potential confrontation with Hezbollah and to advance Israeli security objectives, offering Damascus a “forged certificate of good conduct” while Israel continues to bomb and occupy Syrian territory with impunity.