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The United States has officially revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
Some shit you should know before you read: Back in December, Bashar al-Assad’s regime fell after an 11-day rebel offensive led by HTS, a coalition of Islamist factions that seized control of Damascus and other major cities. HTS, originally a spin-off of al-Qaeda in Syria known as Jabhat al-Nusra, has since rebranded itself as a nationalist and reformist movement under the leadership of Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. Jolani, once a senior figure in al-Qaeda’s operations in the region, is now the President of Syria and has sought to distance himself and HTS from their jihadist roots. He now portrays himself as a unifier and statesman. Despite efforts to rebrand itself as a nationalist opposition force, HTS has been scrutinized for its extremist ties, raising concerns among some countries about the group’s true agenda.
What’s going on now: In a memo posted in the Federal Register, the United States officially revoked the foreign terrorist organization (FTO) designation for HTS, the Syrian terror group formerly known as the al-Nusrah Front. Signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and dated June 23, the memo stated that, “in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury,” the designation would be rescinded effective upon publication.
The terrorist designation revocation is directly linked to Trump’s broader effort to normalize relations with Syria. Just days before the memo’s publication, Trump signed an executive order lifting major US sanctions on Syria. The order authorized the relaxation of export controls on items such as food, medical supplies, and some electronics. Additionally, it called for a review of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act — a key piece of US legislation that imposed secondary sanctions on any entity doing business with Assad-aligned actors.
The revocation follows President Donald Trump’s meeting with Syrian President Sharaa (Jolani) in May during a summit in Saudi Arabia. At the time, Trump praised the new Syrian president as “attractive” and “tough,” marking a notable departure from years of US policy that had treated HTS as a terrorist organization.
Until recently, Jolani was the subject of a $10 million US bounty through the State Department’s Rewards for Justice program, a designation tied to his leadership of the al-Nusrah Front during its affiliation with al-Qaeda.
