UN Security Council lifts sanctions on Syria’s HTS rebel group

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.