President Donald Trump met with the new Syrian leader, a onetime insurgent, in a stunning engagement on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. Trump was to wrap up his visit to the kingdom later in the morning and head to Qatar, the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour this week.
Trump said the rapprochement with Syria came at the urging of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed,” Trump said of Syria, adding, “I say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”
On Tuesday, Trump received a lavish welcome in Riyadh, where he announced he would move to lift sanctions on Syria to give the country “a chance at peace.” He also focused on dealmaking with the kingdom, a key Mideast ally, and touched on shared concerns about Iran’s nuclear program and the war in Gaza.
Trump also urged Iran to take a “new and a better path” as he pushes for a new nuclear deal and said he wanted to avoid conflict with Tehran. Trump and Prince Mohammed, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, signed a host of economic and bilateral agreements.
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The meeting between Trump and Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was the first such encounter between the two nations’ leaders in 25 years.
It took place on the sidelines of Trump sitting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Reporters were not allowed in to witness the stunning engagement.
It was a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family.
People across Syria cheered in the streets and shot off fireworks Tuesday night to celebrate after Trump announced he would move to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, hopeful their nation locked out of credit cards and global finance might rejoin the world’s economy when they need investment the most.
The strikes took place overnight on Tuesday and early Wednesday, the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya reported.
They came a day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered by the United States, and as Trump was in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there was “no way” Israel would halt its war in Gaza, dimming hopes for a ceasefire spurred by the Trump administration’s efforts in the region.
Israel’s military spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee has urged people to evacuate the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeida and Salif, where he says the Iran-backed Houthi rebels operate.
The warnings came as Trump continues his visit to the region and after the U.S. reached a ceasefire deal with the Houthis. The Israeli military made a similar warning for people to evacuate the ports on Sunday but did not follow that up with strikes.
Last week, Israel carried out a two-day strike on the Houthis, including the airport in Yemen’s capital, after the Houthis launched a missile that struck the grounds of Israel’s main international airport.
Syrians cheered Trump’s announcement that America will move to lift sanctions on the beleaguered Middle East nation. People in the capital, Damascus, whistled and cheered the news as fireworks lit the night sky.
The state-run SANA news agency published video and photographs of Syrians cheering in Umayyad Square. Others honked their car horns or waved the new Syrian flag in celebration.
Trump’s planned meeting with the country’s rebel-turned-leader Ahmad al-Sharaa represents a remarkable political turnaround for Syria, which has been locked in a bitter war since the 2011 Arab Spring. In December, rebels led by al-Sharaa toppled Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad’s government.
Al-Sharaa, who was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, will be the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
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The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about the whereabouts of the insurgent then known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani. He had joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.
Syria’s new president came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011, and led al-Qaida’s branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front.
He later changed the name of his group and cut links with al-Qaida before they finally succeeded in overthrowing President Bashar Assad in December.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night called Trump’s statement about the sanctions a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as they “seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.”
The statement also was careful to describe the sanctions as coming “in response to the war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,” rather than the war-torn nation’s new interim government.
“The removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,” the statement added.
The Israeli military issued a statement on Wednesday morning announcing the missile fire from Yemen after sirens sounded in the country.
“A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,” the Israeli military said. “Sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol.”
The Houthis had launched another missile just after Trump addressed an investment summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. Trump had earlier announced a ceasefire between America and the rebel group.
The Houthis have been attacking Israel over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s decision to bar aid to the beleaguered Palestinian enclave. The Iranian-backed rebels also are locked in a stalemated war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the country’s long-exiled government.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge an assault.
The foreign ministry bolstered its travel cautions for New Zealanders visiting the United States, the first such update since Trump took office, officials said Wednesday. The travel advice hadn’t been fully updated since 2023, the statement said.
Language added to the guidance for U.S.-bound travelers included an alert that visitors “may encounter scrutiny from U.S. border authorities,” including inspection of their travel documents, reason for travel and personal belongings.
It also warned travelers to “expect strict enforcement” of entry conditions and caution of “detention, deportation and ban from re-entry” if travelers don’t comply.
