The United Nations Security Council voted almost unanimously on Thursday to lift sanctions on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, an al-Qaeda affiliated jihadist who led the terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) before seizing power in Damascus.

The United States introduced the resolution to lift sanctions on Sharaa and Interior Minister Anas Khattab, both members of jihadist rebel groups that fought against ousted dictator Bashar Assad during the over-decade-long civil war in the country. The HTS militia ended an extended lull in the war where Assad had appeared to cement his stranglehold on the country in November 2024, seizing control of the city of Aleppo. By December 7, Assad was on a plane to exile in Moscow.

Sharaa, the leader of HTS, was known by the nom de guerre “Abu Moha

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