Historic First: Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa to Visit Washington Under Trump Administration for Security Talks

Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa is scheduled to make a historic visit to Washington, according to US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, marking the first-ever visit by a Syrian head of state to the American capital.

The groundbreaking diplomatic engagement is expected to take place "around November 10," as confirmed by a White House official.

During discussions at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, Barrack revealed that Syria would "hopefully" join the US-led coalition against Islamic State. A Syrian source with knowledge of the arrangements indicated the visit would likely occur within the next two weeks.

The US State Department's historical records confirm that no previous Syrian president has made an official visit to Washington, though Sharaa did address the UN General Assembly in New York this September.

Since assuming leadership after deposing Bashar al-Assad last December, Sharaa has embarked on numerous international trips as part of his transitional government's efforts to rebuild Syria's diplomatic relationships with global powers that had previously isolated Damascus during Assad's regime.

Barrack explained that Washington aims to recruit Syria into the coalition it has led since 2014 against Islamic State, the militant organization that once controlled approximately one-third of Syria and Iraq between 2014 and 2017.

"We are trying to get everybody to be a partner in this alliance, which is huge for them," Barrack stated.

Notably, Sharaa previously led Syria's Al Qaeda affiliate but broke away from the organization founded by Osama bin Laden a decade ago. His rebel group subsequently engaged in conflict with Islamic State forces.

While the US-led coalition and its regional partners drove Islamic State from its final Syrian stronghold in 2019, the group has reportedly been attempting to leverage the collapse of the Assad regime to stage a resurgence in Syria and neighboring Iraq, according to sources who spoke to Reuters in June.

Barrack also disclosed that Syria and Israel continue to engage in US-mediated de-escalation talks. He indicated to reporters that the two nations were approaching an agreement, though he declined to specify a timeline for finalizing any deal.

The ongoing negotiations aim to reach an arrangement that Damascus hopes will end Israeli airstrikes and secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces that have advanced into southern Syria.

The Syrian source revealed that the US is pushing for a security agreement with Israel to be finalized before Sharaa's Washington visit.

Despite Assad's overthrow in December, the deep-rooted territorial disputes and political mistrust between Israel and Syria—longtime Middle Eastern adversaries—remain significant challenges to regional stability.