The View From Damascus – Trump Lifts Sanctions: Sharaa’s Gamble with Israel Pays Off
THE SYRIAN OBSERVER
May 14, 2025
While the lifting of sanctions marks a dramatic breakthrough, the road ahead remains fraught.
While the lifting of sanctions marks a dramatic breakthrough, the road ahead remains fraught.
What makes this moment unique is not just the shifting tone in Washington, but the rare convergence of interests across political lines.
Azerbaijan’s approach mirrors broader trends in global energy diplomacy, akin to China’s engagement in Africa or Russia’s energy-based influence in Libya, Syria TV writes.
According to Israel’s Channel N12, citing the Turkish opposition outlet Sozcu, Turkish F-16s conducted reconnaissance flights in the same area where Israeli jets were operating and issued “warning messages” via electronic warfare systems, al-Modon writes.
Sharaa also voiced concerns over Iranian efforts to destabilize Syria.
In an interview with The New York Times, Sharaa made a direct appeal to the international community for financial aid, military support, and the lifting of sanctions, describing Syria’s stability as a global concern.
Despite ongoing engagement, the United States maintains an ambiguous stance towards Syria’s new leadership, al-Araby al-Jadeed writes.
The visit comes amid reports, including from Politico, that the U.S. State Department and Treasury are considering easing long-standing sanctions on Syria
While the document covers wide-ranging security issues, it notably omits concrete demands for the establishment of a transitional government, constitutional reform, or implementation of transitional justice.
Sharaa is seen as a stabilising figure in a chaotic transition, someone who filled the post-Assad vacuum when no other credible authority could
Although the Presidential Office issued a statement clarifying that Jamal al-Sharqa holds no official position within the state and that his presence was strictly personal, the announcement failed to stem the wave of criticism.
The meeting reflected a shared willingness by both Damascus and Erbil to recalibrate their bilateral relations and open direct lines of communication, 963 writes.
Samer Foz rose to prominence during the years of war and sanctions, becoming a central player in the regime’s shadow economy, Sawt al-Asima writes.
Ghalioun stressed the urgency of initiating a bottom-up democratic transition—beginning with free local elections and democratic trade unions, Syria TV says.
Observers believe the timing and scope of the Israeli operations are strategic, reflecting growing Israeli concerns about renewed Iranian entrenchment and Hezbollah activity near the Israeli-Syrian border
Regarding the U.S. military presence in Syria, the State Department affirmed that no decision has been made about withdrawing American forces.
According to confidential sources, over $200,000 in funding has recently been funnelled into Daraa to support small cells in towns such as Lajat, Tafas, and surrounding villages, al-Hal reports.
Hassoun, a known loyalist of former president Bashar al-Assad, has been a controversial figure for years.
Faced with chronic fuel shortages and an international reluctance to sell oil to Syria, the Damascus administration appears to have turned to Moscow as a substitute for Iranian oil, al-Modon writes.
According to Le Figaro, the Biden administration, through the mediation of Oman, proposed confidential discussions in Muscat aimed at resolving key issues, including the fate of missing American journalist Austin Tice
