Strategic Pivot: Trump Praises "Highly Respected" Syrian President Al-Sharaa as Damascus Moves to Reclaim Kurdish-Held Areas

In a dramatic shift of U.S. policy, President Donald Trump lauded Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa as "highly respected" following a phone call discussing the Syrian Army's offensive against Kurdish forces in the north. Trump expressed satisfaction with the field developments, signaling a departure from years of U.S. support for the Kurdish-led SDF. "Things are going very well," Trump noted, ahead of Al-Sharaa’s critical visit to Moscow.

This rapprochement was reinforced by U.S. envoy Tom Brack, who stated that the SDF's role as a primary anti-ISIS partner has "ended," with Washington now looking to the central government in Damascus to manage security and detention camps. During the call, Al-Sharaa reaffirmed his commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and national sovereignty, marking the beginning of a new era where Washington supports the unification of Syria under its new leadership.