After 47 Years, the United States Takes Syria Off the State Sponsors of Terrorism List — and Also Delists the Islamist Coalition That Toppled Assad
On August 24, 2026 Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally rescinded Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, ending a listing that had been in place since 1979. The same action removed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham — the Sunni Islamist coalition that led the campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 and whose leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, now governs Syria — from the Specially Designated Global Terrorist list. The rescission followed the statutory sequence: Trump notified Congress of his intent on July 8, 2026, and the required 45-day congressional review period ran out without a resolution of disapproval. That is because the underlying policy had bipartisan backing. On July 2, Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) — an unusual trio — wrote to Rubio urging him to delist, arguing the legal grounds for the designation no longer existed and that it had become the single biggest obstacle to Syrian reconstruction and to keeping Russia, China and Iran out. Rubio framed the move as a reward for al-Sharaa's counterterrorism cooperation. Outside analysts, including at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, warned that the designation had rested on Syria's ties to Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran-backed groups and that those ties are not resolved by a paperwork change. No member of Congress went on record opposing the delisting.
“These actions represent another historic step by President Trump to give the Syrian people a path to prosperity.”