Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Hold Historic White House Talks with Trump. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will meet Donald Trump at the White House on Monday — the first official visit by a Syrian leader to Washington since Syria’s independence in 1946. The talks mark a major diplomatic milestone, as Sharaa seeks the full lifting of U.S. sanctions imposed during Syria’s 13-year civil war. Sharaa, who led Islamist rebel forces that toppled Bashar al-Assad last year, has urged Washington to repeal the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019. The act, which targeted Assad’s regime over human rights abuses, remains the final major sanctions framework restricting Syria’s recovery. Trump first met Sharaa in Riyadh last May, praising him as a “tough” and “strong” leader before easing most sanctions in a significant policy shift. Once a militant commander with a $10 million U.S. bounty, Sharaa has since been removed from Washington’s terrorism blacklist and embraced as a potential partner against ISIS. The White House said progress on missing Americans and chemical weapons disarmament paved the way for the meeting, signaling “a new chapter” in U.S.-Syria relations. Israel reportedly opposes lifting sanctions completely, warning it could weaken U.S. leverage in the region — though Trump has voiced optimism about future normalization. Instructions: THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT