Trump meets Syria's interim President

Australia Broadcast Center

15-05-2025

Sabra Lane: Donald Trump's met the new Syrian leader in Saudi Arabia. It's the first meeting between the US and Syrian leaders in 25 years and could mark a major turning point in relations. Mr Trump's on a tour of the Middle East. The US President's flagged he'll lift crippling sanctions on Syria as the country tries to rebuild after decades of dictatorship and civil war. Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran joined me a short time ago. Matthew, why is this meeting so important?
Matthew Doran: This would have been unthinkable just a couple of months ago when Ahmed al-Sharaa led the rebels which toppled the Assad regime in Syria up until December last year. He was even subject to a US bounty for his arrest of 10 million US dollars. So not only is this significant just because of who he is, but also because it followed that announcement from Donald Trump of the lifting of those crippling economic sanctions. This is something that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been in his ear about, really wanting him to make this call, something that the international community has been pointing to as a key issue for Syria as it's going through this rebuilding phase following decades of oppressive rule and civil war there. And it appears Donald Trump has listened and that's why this meeting was so incredibly significant. Not only is it important from the economic standpoint, sitting down with the US President also bolsters Ahmed al-Sharaa's own image and his own credentials as a world leader. And it seems like, based on what Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One after the meeting, it seems like the Syrian leader left quite an impression. Young, attractive guy, tough guy, strong pass. Does that worry you at all? He's got a real shot at pulling it together. It's a torn up country.
Sabra Lane: And Matt, Donald Trump isn't visiting Israel on this trip, despite his vehement support for Benjamin Netanyahu. Is this a snub for the Israeli Prime Minister?
Matthew Doran: I think it certainly can be perceived as such, particularly when Benjamin Netanyahu made such a lot of noise about being the first world leader to travel to Washington to meet with Donald Trump after his inauguration. He's been there since then for a second trip, but Donald Trump hasn't paid him the return visit. And he is, of course, in the neighbourhood and the war in Gaza is casting a very long shadow over Donald Trump's visit to the region. Many Arab leaders very concerned about it. I think it's safe to say that the relationship, the ties between the US and Israel, to use that somewhat overused phrase, it is too big to fail or too important to fail. But there is certainly a frustration and an impatience coming from Washington about how Israel is managing the war in Gaza. The fact that there have not been any breakthroughs on a ceasefire and a further hostage release that was further highlighted earlier this week when the last surviving Israeli-American hostage Adan Alexander was released by Hamas in a goodwill gesture, a decision that was made by Hamas in talks with the US without direct involvement from Israel.
Sabra Lane: Matt, just on Gaza, there's been reportedly a huge loss of life in an Israeli strike on a hospital. What can you tell us about that?
Matthew Doran: Multiple strikes across Gaza over the last 24 hours, Sabra, but in the south of Gaza, in Khan Younis, there was a significant attack on the European hospital there. We are hearing from Palestinian health authorities that at least 16 people have been killed, more than 70 injured. The Israeli defense force is claiming that there is an underground or was an underground command center built by Hamas underneath that hospital. That is something which Hamas has rejected. But the IDF is quite confident that in that strike, it has managed to kill Hamas's military commander in Gaza, Mohammed Sinwar, a man who succeeded his brother in that role after his brother was killed. His brother Yahya Sinwar was killed in October last year. That would be a significant achievement for the Israel defense forces. It would, if true, would also cast doubt on Hamas's insistence that it does not use hospitals and other civilian infrastructure as shelters. But it is another example of Israel repeatedly attacking things like hospitals in its bid to target Hamas, something which is outlawed under international law.
Sabra Lane: Matthew Doran there.