Syria Open to Abraham Accords, US Congressman Says After Damascus Visit
By The Media Line Staff
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa told US Representative Cory Mills during a meeting in Damascus on Saturday that Syria would consider joining the Abraham Accords if the right conditions were met. The meeting marks the highest-level US engagement with Syrian officials since the ousting of Bashar Assad in December by an Islamist-led rebel coalition.
According to a report published Thursday by Bloomberg, Mills—who represents Florida in Congress and sits on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees—held a 90-minute conversation with al-Sharaa. The two discussed a potential normalization of ties between Syria and Israel, the lifting of US and European sanctions, and the ongoing presence of foreign fighters in the country.
Mills told Bloomberg that he plans to deliver a letter from al-Sharaa to President Donald Trump and will brief Trump and national security adviser Mike Waltz upon returning to Washington. “I am cautiously optimistic and look to maintain open dialog,” Mills said.
Al-Sharaa, who took power following years of civil war and international isolation, is still subject to sanctions by the US and United Nations due to past affiliations with al-Qaida-linked factions. The new Syrian leadership is seeking a reset in international relations, driven largely by economic necessity. Sanctions have crippled the country’s ability to rebuild, and inflation has soared.
The Abraham Accords, brokered during Trump’s first term, formalized diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. If Syria were to join, it would represent a dramatic regional shift, particularly given Israel’s longstanding hostility toward the Syrian regime and Syria’s historic support for armed groups opposed to Israel.
Mills’ visit to Syria—alongside Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana—was the first by American lawmakers since Assad’s downfall. US officials have not yet commented publicly on the meeting or the contents of al-Sharaa’s letter.
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