Syria’s Sudden Pivot: From Resistance Ally to the Abraham Accord

By Elijah J. Magnier –

In a dramatic and largely unexpected shift, Britain lifted asset freezes on Syria’s defence and interior ministries, as well as a number of intelligence agencies – effectively reversing key sanctions imposed during the rule of former president Bashar al-Assad. The European Union followed with a less committed move, announcing a ‘suspension’ of sanctions targeting Syria’s energy, transport and financial sectors. But words matter here. Suspending sanctions is not the same as lifting them – and European investors know it.

There is a fundamental difference between suspending sanctions and lifting them. No one will commit to rebuilding a devastated country if there is a risk that sanctions will be reimposed overnight.

This growing ambiguity comes as the West reconsiders its approach to Syria following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad by Islamist insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly al-Qaeda in the Levant) in December, ending more than 13 years of civil war. Now, under the de facto leadership of Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammad al-Joulani, Syria is presenting a new face. One that signals a desire not only for international rehabilitation, but also for strategic reorientation and a relationship with Israel, even at the expense of its former ideological pillars.