The UN Security Council has lifted its sanctions against the dissolved Islamist armed group HTS, once led by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Sharaa led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham when it, alongside other rebel groups, toppled Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
The group had been under UN Security Council sanctions since its earlier inception as the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, the jihadist network’s official branch in Syria.
In 2016, the group announced it had severed its ties with Al-Qaeda and rebranded as HTS — though it remained sanctioned.
In December 2024, shortly after taking power, Sharaa announced the dissolution of all armed rebel groups that had toppled Assad, including HTS.
Sharaa himself was removed from UN Security Council sanctions last year, following a resolution from the United States.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
