From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
US officials say a decision on lifting Syrian rebel sanctions will be up to Trump
The Biden administration is expected to defer to the incoming Trump administration to decide whether to lift sanctions on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its leader, according to two US officials familiar with the outgoing administration’s thinking on the matter.
The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, say that the Biden administration has sought to take a careful approach to HTS, the new de facto authority in Syria after overthrowing president Bashar al-Assad.
The officials add that lifting a foreign terrorist designation is a cumbersome process and that it’s unlikely the administration could come to a final decision on the matter with just 12 days to go before Trump takes office.
The US on Monday eased some restrictions on Syria’s transitional government to allow the entry of humanitarian aid. And the Biden administration in December decided to drop a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of al-Sharaa.
