On Wednesday, May 14th, the new President of Syria met with President Trump in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in what could be a turning point in the Middle East situation. President Trump personally urged the new Syrian President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to do four things.
Al-Sharaa, who overturned the previous President Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, is now seeking to rebuild Syria after more than a decade of civil war.
The Trump administration has just announced that all sanctions against the Syrian government will be lifted.
The White House revealed more details of the meeting between Trump and al-Sharaa on Wednesday. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated in a press release that Trump urged the new Syrian leader to do four things: first, diplomatically recognize Israel. Israel has long been an enemy of Syria, and the U.S. hopes for normalizing relations between Israel and Syria.
Second, Trump hopes that al-Sharaa will “tell all foreign terrorists to leave Syria.”
Third, the new Syrian government should assist the U.S. in preventing any resurgence of the “Islamic State” organization.
Fourth, the Syrian government should take responsibility for managing over a dozen detention centers holding about 9,000 suspected ISIS members.
These prisons are currently managed by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led forces. They agreed in April that by the end of 2025, all border crossings, airports, and oil fields in northeast Syria bordering Iraq and Turkey will come under the control of the Syrian central government.
Trump hopes that the new Syrian government will take over these prisons, which could also signal a full U.S. withdrawal from Syria.
The White House also stated that Trump urged Syria to join the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in integrating into the Middle East region. These three countries restored normal relations with Israel in 2020 under the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords.
According to a joint report from the White House, Trump told al-Sharaa, “I told him, ‘I hope after everything is settled, you can join.’ He said, ‘Okay.’ But they still have a lot of work to do.”
Trump described the meeting with al-Sharaa as “fantastic.” He described al-Sharaa as a young, charismatic man with a brilliant past.
“He has the opportunity to stabilize the situation,” Trump said.
The U.S. also hopes that Saudi Arabia, a heavyweight country in the region, can join the Abraham Accords, but negotiations have stalled after the outbreak of the Gaza war. Saudi Arabia insists that normalized relations can only be achieved with the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In April, al-Sharaa told visiting U.S. congressmen that he is willing to negotiate with Israel for normalization of relations.
Indiana Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman visited Syria and discussed the possibility of Syria signing the Abraham Accords. The agreement, promoted by the U.S., aims to normalize relations between Arab countries and Israel.
Stutzman revealed on Wednesday that al-Sharaa responded, “After some negotiations, he will accept the Abraham Accords.”
Stutzman stated that al-Sharaa’s primary goal is to establish a free and unified Syria and hopes to rebuild the damaged economy through tourism, trade, and commerce.
“We must continue to monitor his every move on a daily basis,” the congressman said.
Al-Sharaa severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016, but Israeli officials still describe him as a radical. Al-Sharaa first joined Al-Qaeda in Iraq and served five years in a U.S. prison for it.
In December 2024, the U.S. canceled a $10 million reward for al-Sharaa.
Israel opposes the U.S. lifting sanctions on Syria because humanitarian organizations may be more involved in Syrian affairs, and there may be increased foreign investment in Syria.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond to media requests for comments. Trump told accompanying media that establishing relations with Middle Eastern countries “is very beneficial for Israel.”