US says Syria's Sharaa at risk of assassination over West ties

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa may become a target for assassination due to his overtures to the West, the US has warned.

Thomas Barrack, the US Special Envoy for Syria, said the Trump administration is concerned that Sharaa's efforts to promote inclusive governance in Damascus and rebuild relations with Western powers have made him vulnerable to attacks by "disaffected extremists".

"We need to coordinate a protection system around Sharaa," Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, told Al-Monitor news site.

Barrack pointed to the threat posed by foreign fighters who had once opposed Assad but joined Sharaa in the rapid offensive that toppled the longtime ruler in December. While the new leadership is attempting to integrate these fighters into Syria's national army, which still struggles to unify rival militant factions, some are reportedly being targeted for recruitment by extremist groups like Islamic State (IS).

IS, which lost its territorial grip in 2019 to Kurdish-led US-backed forces, continues to carry out attacks across Syria. The group recently claimed its first assault on the new Syrian government forces and has issued harsh criticism of Sharaa, condemning his meeting with former US President Donald Trump in Riyadh as "traitorous" and calling on foreign jihadists to join its ranks.

Barrack said time was running out to bring economic relief to Syria.

"The longer it takes, the more divided groups will see an opportunity to disrupt [the transitional phase]," he warned. "We need to deter any of these potential attackers before they can get in" through close cooperation and intelligence sharing with US allies, not military intervention.

He described Sharaa, whom he has met twice, as "intelligent", "confident", and "focused", and downplayed concerns about the president's jihadist past, calling him "a skilled negotiator with a straight face that gives little away".

Sharaa previously led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda affiliate that controlled much of Syria’s northwestern Idlib province for years.

Since seizing power, he has sought to rebrand himself as a moderate, advocating national unity, the monopoly of all arms by the state, and the protection of Syria’s religious and ethnic communities.

However, deadly sectarian violence earlier this year targeting Alawite and Druze areas, along with continued killings, kidnappings, and restrictions on freedoms, have raised questions about the new government’s ability to ensure security and national cohesion.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently warned that Syria is on the brink of another full-scale civil war, citing the resurgence of IS and Iranian interference in areas outside government control.

"I am certain that our interests and his interests coincide today, which is to achieve success, as he did in Idlib, in building an inclusive and effective society that embraces moderate, not extremist, Islam," Barrack said about Sharaa.

"I truly appreciate these men for harnessing the resources available to them and maintaining their composure while everyone tries to ignite fires attributed to them," he added.

Earlier this month, Barrack confirmed US support for a Syrian government plan to absorb thousands of foreign fighters into the new national army on the condition that the process remains transparent.

The plan involves integrating around 3,500 foreign fighters, mostly Uyghurs from China and Central Asia, into the newly formed 84th Division of the Syrian Army alongside Syrian nationals.

During a recent Gulf tour, President Donald Trump announced a full lifting all sanctions on Syria, a surprise move aimed at supporting the country's post-war recovery.

Syria remains deeply scarred by 14 years of conflict that began with peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011. Assad’s violent crackdown triggered a civil war that drew in global powers and armed groups—including IS—killing over half a million people and splintering the country.

Rebuilding Syria is expected to cost hundreds of billions of dollars.