On August 24, 2026, the United States officially removed Syria from its designation as a “State Sponsor of Terrorism,” after President Donald Trump initiated the process on July 8. On the same day, Washington also lifted its designation of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) as a terrorist organization.
What is striking is that al-Jolani (al-Shara’a) welcomed the decision and thanked President Trump, describing the move as the beginning of a new phase of development and reconstruction.
The irony is hard to miss: the man who spent years raising slogans against the Americans and the West, waging war under religious banners of takfir and incitement, now appears thanking the very same U.S. president after assuming political power.
What happened exposes the scale of the deception to which the peoples of the region were subjected throughout years of war: jihadist rhetoric, incitement, and takfir were used to mobilize people and plunge the region into bloodshed—only to be followed by a complete reversal of rhetoric and positions once power was attained.
From jihad against the Americans to thanking the American president… the faces and slogans may change, but the political game remains the same.