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.
Speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem, Sa’ar stated, “We want good relations. We want stability. Of course, we have security concerns—and that’s understandable”.
Haaretz described the visit as “unannounced and conducted in complete secrecy,” adding that the meetings lasted several days and addressed undisclosed issues.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot stated hours before Sharaa’s arrival that Paris “will not issue a blank cheque,” stressing the need for accountability, justice, and structural reform.
UAE-facilitated dialogue could represent a tentative first step toward deconfliction or even longer-term security arrangements, al-Modon writes.
Ahmad al-Sharaa is facing increasing calls for bold but stabilising steps
Foreign Minister Shibani stressed in New York that the crisis only underscores the need for a political solution grounded in sovereignty and internal consensus.
Despite refusing to join the Abraham Accords, Damascus affirmed its commitment to building a Syria that does not seek to threaten any other party, Syria TV says.
President Sharaa’s foreign visits carry extraordinary weight, al-Hurriya writes.
The UAE has yet to send a high-level delegation to Syria, but the dynamics is shifting, Enab Baladi writes.
The new cabinet, composed of 22 ministers, reflects a blend of technocrats, returnees from the diaspora, symbolic minority figures, and key holdovers from the interim ruling coalition dominated by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
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
Former Syrian diplomat Bashar Ali al-Haj Ali argues that Israel is using Syria’s transitional period to reshape the region’s power dynamics, 963 writes.
Awda may have expected the Ministry of Defense to acknowledge his early arrival in Damascus and his subsequent trouble-free withdrawal by granting him a prominent leadership position in the ministry, Annahar writes.
Western analysts and regional observers have speculated that al-Awda could emerge as a counterweight to Syria’s new rulers, particularly given his previous ties to Russia and his potential backing from regional players like the UAE and Jordan
The fear of continued or renewed foreign interference—whether from the UAE, the U.S., Iran, Russia, or Turkey—remains valid, Hayan Jaber writes in Al-Araby al-Jadeed.
Syria’s post-Assad economy is defined by stark challenges and cautious hope
Regional leaders, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, called for a unified Arab approach to support Syria, according to Syria TV.
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Syria’s largest business lobbying group recently announced the country’s shift to a free market economy, marking a significant departure from its nominally socialist system, was effectively monopolized by regime-affiliated businessmen, Daraj writes.
