Ahmed al-Sharaa becomes first Syrian leader to visit the White House
Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former member of al-Qaeda, on Monday became the first-ever Syrian president to visit the White House, in a reflection of Damascus’s stunning shift from a US-designated sponsor of terror to partner.
Sharaa, whose Islamist rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is the first Syrian leader to visit the White House since the country’s 1946 independence from France. The Assad family had courted Russia and Iran as partners.
“We have to make Syria work. Syria is a big part of the Middle East,” Trump said after meeting Sharaa.
“He is a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place, and he is a tough guy,” Trump said, referring to Sharaa. “We will do everything we can to make Syria successful.”
Sharaa’s Islamist group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled Assad in December 2024. Since then, he has moved to solidify Damascus’s security partnership with the US, as he tries to reassert authority over the Kurdish-dominated northeast of Syria and address Israeli attacks in the south. [Continue reading…]