President Donald Trump said the US would explore normalizing relations with Syria after the toppling of longtime autocrat Bashar al-Assad, adding to a pledge to lift sanctions against the country’s new government.

President Trump met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and urged him to expel "Palestinian terrorists" from the country and sign onto the historic Abraham Accords.

P resident Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, May 13, that he plans to end the U.S. sanctions imposed on Syria, which have been in place for over 45 years. Announcing the news on the first day of his Middle East tour, during the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum, Trump said he would be lifting sanctions “in order to give them [Syria] greatness.”