미국, 시리아 ‘테러지원국’ 지정 해제…북한·이란·쿠바만 남아

The Trump administration officially removed Syria from the list of U.S. terror-sponsoring states (SST) after a 45-day notice period. The U.S. terror-sponsoring states list now only contains North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Mark Rubin, U.S. Secretary of State, announced the decision on the 24th (local time), stating that the formal repeal of Syria's terror-sponsoring status was approved following the mandatory 45-day congressional notification period.

The decision came after the Trump administration notified Congress of its plan to rescind Syria's designation on July 8th.

Syria was designated as a terror-sponsoring state in 1979 under then-President Hafez al-Assad, primarily for supporting Palestinian militant groups. Since the removal of Bashar al-Assad's authoritarian regime in 2024, relations between the U.S. and Syria have improved. Once removed from the list, Syria would no longer face restrictions on U.S. aid, arms exports, and financial-related sanctions.

The Secretary of State also announced that the Hezbollah militant group, previously listed as a special designation global terrorist (SDGT), was removed from the SDGT list. Hezbollah was led by Ahmed Shaara, who served as Syria's interim president at the time. Rubin cited Syria's entry into the United Nations' counter-terrorism committee and its anti-Hezbollah anti-terror operations as reasons for the removal.

The interim president, Shaara, announced the news, stating that Syria has eliminated its "ache from the past" and is now moving towards development, reconstruction, and integration into the global economy.