Until December 2024 the man who now governs Syria had an American reward of ten million dollars on his head, and the organisation he led was on the terrorism lists of the United Nations, the United States, Europe and Russia. Within a year he had been received at the White House and the Elysee, the sanctions built up against the Assads over forty-five years had mostly been lifted, and the Security Council had removed him from its list. The speed is the dispute: whether the world has recognised a change in Syria or decided not to look.
The wider conflict and each side's full account: Syria after Assad.
Where it stands · September 2026
On 23 September 2026 al-Sharaa said the Golan Heights will remain Syrian. The same day he and al-Zaidi held the first meeting between Syria and Iraq as the two states look to turn a page. On 28 September Yaroslav Cherkassky was named Belarus' Ambassador to Syria and Jordan. On 29 September Japan said it will partially lift sanctions on Syria.
What the dispute is about
Conditions. Sanctions were meant to change Assad's behaviour and outlived him. Those who lifted them asked for protection of minorities, removal of foreign fighters, chemical weapons accounted for, distance from Iran. How much of that was delivered before the rewards came is contested.
Legitimacy. The president was named by the commanders who won the war. A parliament was chosen in 2025 by local committees and by his own appointment, without a popular vote. Elections are promised after a five-year transition.
Who Syria belongs with. Turkey and the Gulf states have paid and expect influence. Washington wants Syria out of Iran's orbit and at peace with Israel. Russia wants its two bases. Damascus takes from all.
