Washington- This footage is explosive and shows the confusing situation surrounding Syria’s new rulers.
On Monday, President Ahmed Al-Sharaa will become US president Donald Trump (79) was welcomed into the White House – just years after US military officials publicly pursued the former al-Qaeda terrorist.
Al-Sharaa apparently complied in a good mood Washington. In a video circulating on social media on Sunday, he and his Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani (38) were seen playing basketball with two of the highest-ranking US military personnel.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa (43, right) shakes hands with US Brigadier General Kevin Lambert after a basketball game in Washington
His teammates were also in a good mood: Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, responsible for the Middle East, East Africa and Central Asia – precisely Al-Sharaa’s area of activity. Brigadier General Kevin Lambert, head of “Operation Inherent Resolve”, the international anti-ISIS coalition.
Explosive: Basketball video made just two DAYS after US removed Al-Sharaa from its global terror list! The responsible US Treasury justified this decision with “recognition of the progress that has been achieved by the Syrian leadership”.
There is a prize of 10 million in Al-Sharaa
The visit to Washington comes at a critical time, eleven months after his HTS militia SyriaButcher Bashar Al-Assad (60) fell. Since coming to power, al-Sharaa has sought to restore Syria’s presence on the world stage after decades of isolation under the Assad regime and 13 years of civil war.
Before taking leadership of HTS (Haiʾat Tahrir ash-Sham), Sharaa fought for al-Qaeda terrorists in Iraq, al-Nusra Front in Syria and was even imprisoned by US troops. He also received a $10 million bounty on his head.
The US lifted sanctions on HTS earlier this year.
This poster was used by the US government to search for Ahmed Al-Sharaa (under the pseudonym de guerre Muhammad Al-Jawlani)
Trump met Al-Sharaa in May during a visit to Riyadh, where he described him as a “tough guy with a very strong past.”
Despite its past, al-Sharaa has won support from governments opposed to the Assad regime by promising to lead a moderate government. How much one believes in Al-Sharaa’s statements remains unclear.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump (from left) meet for the first time in Saudi Arabia in May 2025
Earlier this year, he vowed to root out elements of his security forces accused of executing members of Syria’s Alawite minority. However, in recent months there has been deadly violence between Sunni Bedouin fighters and Druze militia.
This raises doubts about whether the HTS-led government can restore stability to a country that has been mired in war for more than a decade.
