How Washington Responds to Separatist Moves by the SDF and Druze in Syria

The U.S. openness toward Syria’s new leadership marked a complete shift in how Washington engages with this Arab country, which is seeking to unify all of its territory and restart its economy and growth.

The United States, through its political influence, still holds most of the keys Syria needs to rejoin the international community.

The administration of President Donald Trump opened many doors for Damascus to achieve this reintegration, both politically and economically, but it did not come without pressure or a price.

‘Building Prosperity’

The U.S. vision for post-Assad Syria, following the regime's fall on December 8, 2024, remains unclear and lacks flexibility.

While Washington plays a delicate “balancing game” with the new leadership, it has submitted a list of demands to Damascus, some of which carry indirect pressure on the country’s leaders.

Since being appointed special envoy to Syria on May 23, 2025, Ambassador Tom Barrack has consistently conveyed direct U.S. messages through repeated meetings with transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa and other key actors.

“We will continue to work toward building prosperity in Syria in collaboration with friends and partners,” Barrack posted on X.

“A stable, secure, and unified Syria is built on the foundation stone of great neighbors and allies.”

His remarks came amid growing separatist and self-rule calls in southern Syria, particularly in the Druze-majority province of Sweida.

Hikmat al-Hijri, the Druze spiritual leader in Sweida, continues to push, openly backed by “Israel,” for a new reality that distances the province from Damascus’s authority.

On July 16, 2025, he appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “save Sweida,” in a striking public plea to Syria’s historic enemy.

Al-Hijri also rejected efforts by the new state to reestablish control over security and government institutions in the province, especially after security forces entered Sweida on July 13 to restore order following clashes between Bedouin tribes and local Druze factions.

In response, the Israeli Occupation launched a major attack on July 16, striking over 160 targets across four provinces: Sweida, Daraa, Rural Damascus, and Damascus. Airstrikes in the capital hit the general staff headquarters and areas near the presidential palace.

Brigadier General Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in Sweida, reported that over 200 personnel from the Defense and Interior Ministries were killed on the first day of the Israeli aggression. More than 400 others were wounded during clashes with al-Hijri’s militia.

After Assad’s fall, the U.S. struggled to develop a long-term strategy that would protect its interests in Syria.

At the end of June 2025, President Trump signed an executive order permanently lifting most U.S. sanctions.

Earlier, on May 23, the Treasury Department issued a general license allowing Americans to conduct financial transactions with Syrian institutions, including the Central Bank.

The State Department also granted a six-month exemption from sanctions imposed under the 2019 Caesar Act.

Congressional offices from both parties have since begun drafting legislation to repeal the law, which has been in place since June 2020.

According to the U.S. envoy, the Trump administration intends to keep renewing the exemption until Congress repeals the act entirely.

Critics warn that lifting all sanctions at once could weaken U.S. leverage over the new government and reduce pressure for reform.

Barrack emphasized that Washington is taking a measured approach and said there are benchmarks it intends to monitor along the way.

Enhancing Government Efficiency

The United States has sharply criticized Damascus over the recent events in Sweida.

On July 21, 2025, Tom Barrack stated that the Syrian government must be held “accountable” for the events in Sweida and that it bears “responsibility for protecting minorities.”

In a July 22 interview with Reuters from Beirut, Barrack called on transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa to reconsider his policies and adopt a more inclusive approach following a recent outbreak of sectarian violence. He cautioned that failing to do so could result in the loss of international support and the potential fragmentation of the country.

Barrack said he had advised al-Sharaa in private discussions to revisit pre-war army structure, reduce “Islamist indoctrination,” and seek regional security support.

He added that al-Sharaa must adapt “quickly,” or risk losing what he described as “the energy of the universe that was behind him.”

It became clear that Washington was using these warnings as a pressure tool against the new Syrian leadership, which is led by a group previously designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization.

On July 7, 2025, the Trump administration officially removed Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, led by al-Sharaa under the alias Abu Mohammad al-Julani, from its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The U.S. also declined to sign the Paris Conference Statement in Support of Syria held in February 2025, which included Arab and European countries, Turkiye, Japan, and various regional and international bodies.

Observers at the time noted that Washington was closely monitoring the new leadership in Damascus to ensure that its promises to implement a national state-building project were more than just verbal commitments.

Bassam Barabandi, a former Syrian diplomat now based in Washington since defecting from the Assad regime, said that U.S. efforts focus on encouraging private American investment in Syria.

“The U.S. is also pushing to lift all sanctions, including the Caesar Act, before the end of 2025,” he told Al-Estiklal.

“The United States does not plan to interfere in Syria’s internal affairs but is willing to mediate and offer guidance to the new leadership.” 

Barabandi emphasized that the U.S. will not fund Syria’s reconstruction.

“The responsibility now lies with the Syrian government to reassure minorities and the wider population. The U.S. is monitoring developments closely and continues to stress that economic stability is key to Syria’s future,” he added.

Barabandi described President Trump’s approach as a bold gamble and said the administration expects concrete outcomes, particularly the defeat of the Islamic State group.

He added that U.S. discussions now center on how to support the development of Syria’s government performance in line with new economic opportunities. This includes reforming legal, service, and financial institutions, and involving all societal groups to ensure lasting stability. He noted that Saudi Arabia and Turkiye have important roles to play in supporting this process.

“The Syrian government must take further regulatory steps and improve its legal framework to help the U.S. remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism,” Barabandi said.

“The World Bank has a program to assist governments facing infrastructure challenges related to counterterrorism, corruption, poor management, banking reform, labor laws, trade regulation, and transparency; Syria could ask for international assistance, which would send a positive signal globally.”

Regarding Israeli-Syrian tensions, Barabandi said Washington supports a “non-aggression pact between the two sides” but is not currently discussing a formal peace agreement.

The greatest current challenge for the U.S. is balancing the goal of stabilizing Syria through normalized relations while also preventing Israeli violations and Tel Aviv’s interest in keeping the country divided.

Syria, once shunned by the U.S. and Europe under Assad’s rule, is now emerging as a potential key player in the Middle East.

As the country moves away from Iran, it is drawing closer to Gulf Cooperation Council states. Experts believe this could eventually lead to Syria aligning with a U.S.-backed Arab bloc.

Setting Priorities

Observers note that U.S. priorities in Syria go beyond the fight against the Islamic State. They include maintaining influence as Syria’s political and economic future takes shape.

Recent developments suggest the United States has already begun scaling back its military commitments in Syria, as part of a broader strategy to realign its regional priorities.

This shift became clear when the U.S. Department of Defense announced its intention to transfer responsibility for countering ISIS and managing the prisons holding its members in northeastern Syria (currently overseen by its ally, the Syrian Democratic Forces) to the Syrian government.

The move reflects Washington’s desire to offload a burden that the SDF, with direct U.S. support, has handled for years.

However, the SDF continues to resist integration into the new Syrian state and refuses to hand over its territories to Damascus, signaling a clear bet on “separatist ambitions.”

A new round of U.S.-sponsored negotiations between the Syrian government and the SDF in Damascus on July 9, 2025, revealed the militia’s lack of seriousness in implementing the agreement signed by its commander, Mazloum Abdi, and transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa on March 11.

The agreement calls for integrating the civil and military institutions of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) into the Syrian state, including border crossings, airports, and oil and gas fields.

On July 12, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack warned that the SDF would face pressure from both Turkiye and Syria if it failed to move quickly toward integration into state institutions.

A few days earlier, Barrack urged the SDF to “speed things up,” stressing, “there is only one road, and that road is to Damascus.”

Speaking to Rudaw, Barrack noted that the pace of SDF negotiations with Damascus has been “slow,” while stressing that federalism in Syria “doesn’t work,” adding, “You can’t have independent non-nation states within a nation.” 

Significantly, Washington recently allowed the launch of an investment partnership involving three major U.S. companies (Baker Hughes, Hunt Energy, and Argent LNG) with Syria’s Ministry of Energy to rehabilitate and develop the oil and gas sector.

The strategic plan to revive Syria’s energy sector includes the creation of a new company, SyriUs Energy, to lead the rebuilding effort, as per details released by CNBC Arabia

The five-phase plan starts with restoring assets and ends with expanding exports and trade. It includes creating a new legal entity listed on the U.S. stock exchange, with Syria’s sovereign energy fund owning a 30% share.

Jonathan Bass, CEO of Argent LNG, is leading discussions with Washington and Damascus to advance the plan, which aims to restore, stabilize, and grow Syria’s oil and gas sector as a cornerstone of national recovery, energy security, and economic sovereignty.

Syria requires substantial foreign investment to restart, modernize, and expand its energy sector.

However, with 90 percent of Syria’s oil and gas currently under SDF control, Washington faces a major challenge in enabling the Syrian state to fully manage its national resources and support economic recovery, especially as over 90 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to international organizations.

Since the U.S. cannot legally sign long-term lease agreements with the SDF, due to the lack of international recognition of its governance, Washington understands that the success of Syria’s energy revival depends on the central government’s ability to reunify the country and reclaim control of its resources.