A short video posted online by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani showed al-Sharaa, dressed in formal clothes, taking part in a casual game with Cooper and senior U.S. officer Kevin Lambert. The video did not specify when it was filmed, but similar footage of the Syrian president playing basketball appeared earlier this year, suggesting the sport is one of his personal hobbies.
Al-Sharaa playing basketball with top US generals
The lighthearted scene contrasted sharply with the serious diplomatic agenda awaiting al-Sharaa, whose visit marks a major shift in Washington’s approach toward Damascus. His trip follows the U.N. Security Council’s decision to lift sanctions against him and the U.S. State Department’s removal of his name from its terrorist watchlist.
Before arriving in Washington, al-Sharaa met French President Emmanuel Macron in Brazil and held talks with Gulf leaders who have backed his rule since his rise to power. The meeting with Trump follows their first encounter in Riyadh in May, where Trump announced a “new direction” in U.S. policy on Syria.
“I think he’s doing a great job,” Trump said last week of al-Sharaa. “It’s a tough neighborhood, and he’s a tough guy, but I got along with him very well. We lifted sanctions to give them a real chance.”
Trump added that the decision to ease sanctions came “at the request of Turkey and, to be honest, at the request of Israel, as well as other countries.” He said Iran had also asked for relief, though he offered no details.
Analysts say one of al-Sharaa’s top priorities is to remove remaining restrictions under the Caesar Act, a U.S. law enacted in response to atrocities committed by the Assad regime. The law still limits Syria’s access to global markets and discourages foreign investment.
The Syrian state news agency SANA, aligned with al-Sharaa’s government, described the visit as a “historic step toward normalization” with Washington. Regional observers, however, called it part of a broader effort to rehabilitate the image of Syria’s new president internationally.
The last meeting between a U.S. and Syrian leader took place in 2000, when Bill Clinton met Hafez Assad in Geneva.
