US revokes terror label for Syria’s HTS in shift toward easing sanctions

The administration of US President Donald Trump has officially revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), according to a State Department memo filed on Monday. The move marks a significant step in Washington’s ongoing efforts to ease sanctions on Syria.

The memo, dated June 23 and signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, appeared in a preview of the Federal Register ahead of its official publication on Tuesday.

The decision follows an executive order signed by Trump last week that ended a long-standing US sanctions program targeting Syria. The White House said the move was aimed at reintegrating Syria into the international financial system and supporting post-war reconstruction.

"In consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases), as a Foreign Terrorist Organization," Rubio wrote in the memo.

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HTS, formerly the Nusrah Front and once affiliated with al-Qaeda, has claimed to sever ties with the group in recent years. It now portrays itself as a Syrian nationalist movement seeking to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

In December, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa led HTS and allied Islamist factions in a lightning offensive that ousted former President Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's foreign ministry has not issued an immediate response to the developments.

The decision builds on a major policy shift announced during a May meeting between President Trump and Syrian President Sharaa in Riyadh. During the visit, Trump unexpectedly declared his intention to lift sanctions on Syria, setting the stage for broader US engagement with the war-torn country.