US President temporarily lifted the Caesar sanctions on Syria following a meeting on Monday with President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House.

The Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, passed in 2019, imposed sanctions on the government of Bashar Al Assad and people connected to it. Al-Shara’s Hayat Tahrir Al Sham group toppled the Assad regime last December.

As Trump and Al-Shara held a closed-door meeting, the State Department, the Treasury Department and the Department of Commerce said Caesar Act sanctions would be lifted for a period of 180 days, with exceptions of sanctionable transactions with Russia and Iran. The waiver renews a May 23 pause.

Addressing reporters after meeting with al-Sharaa for nearly two hours, Trump said his administration will “do everything we can to make Syria successful,” hailing Sharaa as “a very strong leader.”

“He comes from a very tough place, and he’s a tough guy. I liked him. I get along with him, the president, the new president in Syria,” the US president said in the Oval Office.

Trump forecasted forthcoming announcements on Syria but did not detail them, saying only that “we want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful, and I think this leader can do it.”

Syria signed a US-led co-operation agreement with a global coalition to defeat ISIL.

Trump also said he was working with Syria to get along with Israel, a statement that many believe will end in Syria joining the Abrahamic Accords.