UN Security Council lifts sanctions on Syria’s HTS rebel group
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Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers a speech on the first anniversary of Mr Bashar al-Assad's fall in Damascus, on Dec 8, 2025
PHOTO: REUTERS
UNITED NATIONS, United States – The UN Security Council on Feb 27 lifted its sanctions against the dissolved Islamist armed group HTS, once led by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Mr Sharaa led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham when it, alongside other rebel groups, toppled Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad
The group had been under UN Security Council sanctions since its earlier inception as the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Nusra Front, the jihadist network’s official branch in Syria.
In 2016, the group announced it had severed its ties with Al-Qaeda and rebranded as HTS – though it remained sanctioned.
In December 2024, shortly after taking power, Mr Sharaa announced the dissolution
Mr Sharaa himself was removed from UN Security Council sanctions in 2025, following a resolution from the United States. AFP
