State Department Notifies Congress of Syria Terrorism-Sponsor Rescission

The State Department notified Congress on Wednesday that the Trump administration intends to rescind Syria's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, opening a 45-day pre-notification review period, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced. The notification cites Trump's June 30, 2025 executive order directing sanctions relief, counterterrorism actions taken by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government since Bashar al-Assad's fall, and formal Sharaa assurances that Syria will not support international terrorism. Israel prefers a weakened post-Assad Damascus to the Iran-backed regime it replaced, but has watched the U.S.-Syria thaw warily because the IDF still holds territory taken in southern Syria after Assad's fall, positions Sharaa continues to demand Israel relinquish.