Headline Roundup • November 11th, 2025
Trump Hosts Syrian Leader at White House, Offers Sanctions Relief, Cooperation Against ISIS
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa behind closed doors at the White House on Monday, the first time a Syrian head of state has visited the White House since Syria gained independence in 1946.
Key Developments: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a 180-day suspension of some Caesar Act sanctions, which target Syria's energy sector and have slowed post-war reconstruction. The exemptions excluded “certain transactions involving the governments of Russia and Iran, or the transfer of provisions of Russian-origin or Iranian-origin goods, technology, software, funds, financing or services.” Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said Syria has also signed “a political cooperation declaration” with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, a coalition of 89 other partners that aims to combat ISIS. Leaders also discussed investment opportunities in Syria and the implementation of a deal reached in March between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Key Quote: Trump said of al-Sharaa, “He’s a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place. Tough guy. I like him. I get along with the president, the new president in Syria, and we’ll do everything we can to make Syria successful, because that’s part of the Middle East.”
For Context: Al-Sharaa came to power as Syria’s interim leader following an uprising that ousted former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. He was appointed Syria’s president on January 29. The US had a $10 million bounty on al-Sharaa until December 2024, and from 2017 until January 29, he led the US-designated terrorist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
2025 Violence: There have been several reports of violence against innocent religious minorities in Syria so far this year. In March, hundreds of civilians in western Syria, including religious minorities like Alawites and Christians, were killed during clashes between pro-Sharaa and pro-Assad forces. In June, an ISIS splinter cell claimed responsibility for the bombing of a Greek Orthodox church that killed 25 and injured 63 others. In July, hundreds were killed in a conflict between Syria’s Druze minority and government forces, prompting Israel to intervene and bomb Syria’s defense ministry and presidential palace.
How The Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum highlighted the historic nature of the meeting and that al-Sharaa was a terror leader until recently. Reuters (Center bias) also noted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (GA) criticism of the meeting. Greene said she would like to see Trump focus more on “domestic policy not foreign policy.”
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Featured Coverage of this Story
HOGP/AP
The US has announced a partial suspension of sanctions on Syria after a historic meeting in Washington DC between its new leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Donald Trump.
Monday’s meeting was the first summit between a US and Syrian leader at the White House since 1946. The meeting is part of a remarkable turnaround in US-Syrian relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who had prosecuted a deadly civil war in the country from 2011 until his forces collapsed in December 2024.
Sharaa, a former al-Qaida-aligned rebel fighter who had previously...
U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Monday to do everything he can to make Syria successful after landmark talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by Washington as a foreign terrorist.
Sharaa's visit capped a stunning year for the rebel-turned-ruler who toppled longtime autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad and has since travelled the world trying to depict himself as a moderate leader who wants to unify his war-ravaged nation and end its decades of international isolation.
Syria has agreed to join the U.S.-led coalition to tackle the ISIS terrorist group following a meeting between President Ahmed al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump on Nov. 10, according to a Syrian official.
Syrian Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa said on Nov. 10 that Syria has signed “a political cooperation declaration” with the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS—a coalition signed by 89 other partners to combat ISIS in Iraq, Syria, and globally—confirming its commitment to efforts to combat terrorism and support regional stability.
