Trump said of the brief meeting in Saudi Arabia with the Syrian interim president and Islamist al-Sharaa that it went “great”, saying the Syrian is a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past. Very strong past. Fighter.”
Trump likes to flatter the leaders he meets, it’s his MO, but to flatter a former AQ terrorist like that? The US President must know Sharaa’s background with Al Qaeda.
And then to lift sanctions on Syria? Really? To appease Turkey (which backs Islamists in the Syria conflict and fought Kurdish allies) and the Saudis?
And we ought to hope Trump knows about the recent massacres of Alawites and Christians, and the persecution of the Druze of Syria, at the hands of Sharra’s HTS men and Islamist allies.
This could be the administration’s way of keeping enemies close, a strategy.
And what’s Sharaa’s short and long-term game? I don’t trust him. Islamists believe in applying deception whenever it’s convenient, and they do so as par for the course.
Let’s see where and how this goes.
–RdM
Addendum: Something to add is that the US Kurdish allies might pay a price for Trump’s friendly approach to Sharaa. The Syrian conflict is very complicated.
Remember that during Trump’s last term in office, he wanted to withdraw all the US troops from Syria who had been fighting ISIS, which would have abandoned the Kurdish allies to the mercy of their enemies. Trump did a volte-face after some pressure not to abandon the Kurds, so instead reduced the troops and kept a few hundred US troops in Syria.
I wonder what Trump’s plans are for the US base in Syria this time around.
Just in: The Intercept reports: Trump Said Syria Deserves a “Fresh Start” — But U.S. Troops Aren’t Leaving:
Trump Said Syria Deserves a “Fresh Start” — But U.S. Troops Aren’t Leaving
“In Syria, which has seen so much misery and death, there is a new government that will hopefully will succeed in stabilizing the country and keeping peace,” Trump said. “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.” Trump said that Syria deserves “a fresh start.”
That new beginning does not, however, include an end to the U.S. occupation of Syrian territory, according to the Pentagon. Around 1,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed in the country.
SEE: https://theintercept.com/2025/05/14/trump-middle-east-syria-sanctions-us-troops/
Three weeks ago, an FDD report, ‘United States to Withdraw 1,000 Troops from Syria in Coming Months’, said that the US will reduce its forces in Syria, but will that change now after Trump’s meeting with Sharaa? RE:
Pentagon Confirms Troop Consolidation: The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) confirmed on April 18 that the United States will consolidate and reduce its forces in Syria, maintaining fewer than one thousand troops under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). “This consolidation reflects significant steps we have made toward degrading ISIS’ appeal and operational capability regionally and globally,” according to a statement from Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell. “As this consolidation takes place, consistent with President Trump’s commitment to peace through strength, U.S. Central Command will remain poised to continue strikes against the remnants of ISIS in Syria.”
–RdM
Reuters — Summary
◘ Saudi, Turkish leaders encouraged Trump to drop Syria sanctions
◘ Trump urges Syria to normalise ties with Israel
◘ Trump arrives in Qatari capital Doha
◘ Qatar Airways to buy 160 Boeing planes
DOHA, May 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel, after a surprise U.S. announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.
Trump met Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa, who once pledged allegiance to al Qaeda and swept to power at the head of a group that Washington has called a terrorist organisation, before a summit between the United States and Gulf Arab countries.
The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here.He urged Sharaa to join the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, which normalised relations with Israel under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords in 2020, the White House press secretary posted on X.
Trump said he thought Syria would join at some point, according to a Washington Post pool report.
“I think they have to get themselves straightened up. I told him, ‘I hope you’re going to join when it’s straightened out.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do,” said Trump.
Photos posted on Saudi state television showed them shaking hands in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MbS.
Despite concerns within sectors of his own administration over Syria’s leaders’ former ties to al Qaeda, Trump said on Tuesday he would lift sanctions on Syria in a major policy shift.
Trump’s Middle East trip has fuelled doubts in Israel about where the country stands in Washington’s priorities.
The U.S. exploring the possibility of normalising ties with Syria, one of Israel’s biggest foes, and holding nuclear talks with its other enemy Iran has sidelined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies in the government.
Israel considers Iran’s nuclear program “an existential threat” and does not trust Syria’s new Islamist president. Israeli officials have continued to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, though he severed ties with al Qaeda in 2016.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump, who said his Gulf region trip does not sideline Israel, told reporters the fact he has relationships with countries in the Middle East is “very good for Israel”.
He said the meeting with Sharaa, who he described as a young, attractive guy with a very strong past, was “great”.
“He’s got a real shot at holding it together,” said Trump.
Sharaa was for years the leader of al Qaeda’s official wing in the Syrian conflict.
He first joined the group in Iraq, where he spent five years in a U.S. prison. The United States removed a $10 million bounty on his head in December.
The U.S. also hopes regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia will join the Abraham Accords, but discussions came to a halt after the Gaza war erupted and the kingdom insists there can be no normalisation without Palestinian statehood.
To read more, see: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/trump-meet-syrian-president-saudi-before-heading-qatar-2025-05-14/
I agree about the part not trusting the Islamists. Big gamble on the part pf the administration with Syria. We shall see if “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
As often, I agree with you, John.