US delists Syria's HTS as 'terrorist' group, maintains Nusra Front alias label

WASHINGTON DC - The US revoked the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation for Syria’s Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on Tuesday, but the group “remains identified as an alias of Al-Nusrah Front,” which is still listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), a State Department spokesperson told Rudaw.

The revocation of the FTO designation for HTS is “effective July 8,” the spokesperson confirmed, adding that the State Department is currently "reviewing our remaining terrorist designations related to HTS and Syria, in accordance with the President [Donald Trump’s] promise to deliver sanctions relief to Syria.”

In a memo dated June 23 and published on Monday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “In consultation with the Attorney General and Secretary of the Treasury, I hereby revoke the designation of Al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (and other aliases) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of State may revoke an FTO designation at any time, particularly if circumstances have changed or if the revocation supports US national security interests.

Nusra Front, also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, was formed in 2012 as al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria and in 2016, it rebranded as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (JFS) and claimed to break from al-Qaeda, though ties were suspected to have continued. In 2017, JFS merged with other groups to form HTS. The US designated Nusra Front an FTO in December 2012 due to its links to al-Qaeda in Iraq and its activities in Syria. The designation, later updated to include JFS and HTS.

Following a rapid offensive in early December, a coalition of opposition forces led by the now-dissolved HTS - then headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa - toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Sharaa was in late January named Syria’s interim president and has since upped efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with the international community, long severed under Assad’s rule.

US Secretary of State Rubio’s revocation of Nusra Front and HTS’s designation as an FTO notably came a week after the US President terminated Washington’s comprehensive sanctions program on Syria.

Trump had announced the move in mid-May as part of a broader strategy to normalize ties with the new Syrian leadership and “to give them a chance at greatness,” he said during a speech in Riyadh.

The State Department spokesperson told Rudaw on Tuesday that the revocation of HTS’s designation as an FTO aligns with Trump’s May announcement, which “signified a turning point for Syria’s reintegration into the global community and economy.”

The decision, the spokesperson continued, marks “an additional step towards fulfilling the President’s vision of delivering sanctions relief for the Syrian people,” which is “a critical element of a new relationship between Syria and the United States.

“The President is providing the Syrian government with the chance to promote peace and stability,” the spokesperson added. “This is about opening up incredible opportunities around the region for peace and security.”

Since the fall of Assad in December, the US has taken several steps to ease sanctions on Syria.

In January, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 24, authorizing specific humanitarian and essential service transactions. This was followed in late May by General License 25, which broadly authorized transactions across all sectors of Syria’s economy - including investment, financial services, and petroleum trade - as well as re-engagement with the Commercial Bank of Syria.

Also in May, the State Department issued a 180-day waiver under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, removing a key legal obstacle to reconstruction and economic engagement. However, targeted sanctions against individuals linked to the Assad regime, terrorism, and human rights abuses remain in effect.