Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa went to Washington this week for a historic trip. It is historic for Syria as a country and for Sharaa.
The Syrian transitional president met with US President Donald Trump. He also met with other key officials and discussed the need for sanctions relief and support for Syria.
In addition, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Washington. Ankara is a key supporter of the new Syrian government.
Turkey is also a NATO ally of the US, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warm ties with Trump.
The Sharaa visit was bookended by two videos that spread widely online. One of them shows Sharaa playing basketball with US Central Command commanders.
Another is a video of Trump giving Sharaa perfume and asking the Syrian leader if he has more than one wife. Sharaa has only one wife, and he has spoken with passion about their life together during the decade-long war against the Assad regime.
The video of Trump being a bit jovial with the perfume and Sharaa shows the warmth of the two leaders.
There are many skeptics about Sharaa who think the new government in Damascus has a problem with the extremist past of its leadership and also its handling of clashes with minorities. Only time will tell whether this changes.
US Envoy: New Syria Framework Integrates SDF, links to Israel
For now, the White House is deeply supportive of the new Syria. Nevertheless, there are challenges ahead.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces control eastern Syria. Will they be integrated into the new security forces of Damascus?
US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also Trump’s envoy to Syria, issued a long message about the historic Syrian presidential visit.
“This week marks a decisive turning point in the modern history of the Middle East – and in the remarkable transformation of Syria from isolation to partnership,” he wrote on X, adding that Sharaa is the first Syrian head of state to visit the White house since Syria became independent in 1946.
“Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary [of State] Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles witnessed in the Oval Office President al-Sharaa’s commitment to President Trump to join the D-ISIS coalition, which stands as a historic framework marking Syria’s transition from a source of terrorism to a counterterrorism partner – a commitment to rebuild, to cooperate, and to contribute to the stability of an entire region,” Barrack wrote.
Syria would now work against ISIS alongside the US and American forces, he said.
“We mapped the next phase of the US-Turkish-Syrian framework: integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the new Syrian economic, defense and civic structure, redefining Turkish-Syrian-Israeli relations, and advancing the alignment that underpins the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, as well as various Lebanese border issues,” he wrote.
Barrack also praised Turkey’s role.
This is important because it shows how Sharaa’s trip to Washington could now foster improved ties with Israel.
The issue of Syria-Israel ties is going to be complex. Israel moved into areas along the ceasefire buffer zone after the Assad regime fell. The IDF has also carried out airstrikes in Syria.
Israeli ministers have condemned Sharaa as a “jihadistst” in the past, and they have threatened him. Israel’s leadership has also said it would stand in support of the Druze in Sweida.
This creates many challenges. While Israel wants southern Syria demilitarized, this could also lead to a power vacuum.
Iranian agents or drug-smuggling gangs could come into the vacuum. That means it’s important to keep an eye on developments in southern Syria.