Syrian President al-Sharaa sits down with US general who arrested him

Taking the signifier astatine a governmental forum successful New York City for an interview, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and retired four-star United States General David Petraeus person acknowledged the peculiarity of the situation.

Al-Sharaa, who overthrew erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad and ended his family’s 50-year regularisation of Syria successful a blazing subject offensive precocious past year, has been president since January.

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Petraeus commanded US forces during their penetration of Iraq – forces who captured and imprisoned al-Sharaa from 2006 to 2011 for warring against the invasion. Petraeus later served arsenic the manager of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

After his release, al-Sharaa established the al-Nusra Front successful Syria successful 2012 to combat al-Assad. Four years later, it severed its ties with al-Qaeda. A twelvemonth later, al-Nusra merged with different groups to signifier Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by al-Sharaa.

HTS was designated a “terrorist organisation” by the US successful 2018, citing past ties to al-Qaeda, a designation the US revoked in July arsenic Washington softened its attack to post-Assad Syria.

The US had placed a $10m bounty connected al-Sharaa’s head, lifting it lone successful precocious December.

Significance of timing and venue

Al-Sharaa arrived successful New York connected Sunday to be the United Nations General Assembly, the archetypal Syrian caput of authorities to bash truthful successful almost six decades.

The president and his ample delegation held meetings, including with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the person addressed events connected the sidelines of the General Assembly connected Monday.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, left, greets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio connected the sidelines of the UN General Assembly connected September 22, 2025 [Bing Guan/Pool via Reuters]

With Petraeus, helium past participated successful the 2025 Concordia Annual Summit, a planetary affairs forum held alongside the General Assembly that brings unneurotic satellite leaders, concern executives and NGO figures to foster public-private partnerships and dialogue.

Last year, Concordia said it had much than 300 speakers, including 9 heads of state, and much than 3,600 attendees from 112 countries. Past participants see UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, US concern titan Warren Buffett and erstwhile US President Joe Biden.

Why is Petraeus a ‘fan’ of al-Sharaa?

The erstwhile US wide not lone acknowledged the unusual pairing but utilized it to praise al-Sharaa, who has set an October day for parliamentary elections successful Syria.

“His trajectory from insurgent person to caput of authorities has been 1 of the astir melodramatic governmental transformations successful caller Middle Eastern history,” Petraeus told the audience.

Later successful the interview, helium showed interest for the Syrian leader’s idiosyncratic wellbeing, asking whether helium is getting capable sleep. Petraeus said al-Sharaa has “many fans” and that helium is 1 of them.

“At a time, we were successful combat and present we determination to discourse,” al-Sharaa said with a grin erstwhile asked astir their history, adding that radical who person gone done warfare cognize the value of peace.

“We cannot justice the past based connected the rules of contiguous and cannot justice contiguous based connected the rules of the past,” the Syrian president said.

Talking astir his clip arsenic an al-Qaeda commander, al-Sharaa said “maybe determination were mistakes” earlier but what matters present is defending the Syrian radical and the portion from instability.

“Our committedness to that enactment is what brought america present contiguous to [New York], sitting present among allies and friends.”

Al-Sharaa said helium believed helium was warring for a “noble” origin that deserves support.

Asked astir deadly sectarian unit successful Syria this year, helium said the al-Assad authorities had near Syria successful chaos and “all parties made mistakes, including parts of the government”, during the violence.

He added that a recently formed assembly is investigating and would prosecute each violators.

He said the Syrian radical person rallied astir the caller authorities and the economical improvement and unification of Syria are the priorities now.

In this vein, helium reiterated his petition for the US Congress to revoke the Caesar Syria Civil Protection Act of 2019, which sanctions Syria.

The president reiterated his stance connected protecting Syria’s minorities, including the Kurdish colonisation successful the north, whose rights indispensable beryllium protected successful the constitution. However, helium added, Kurdish equipped forces indispensable not run extracurricular the state’s auspices arsenic the authorities and its service indispensable beryllium the lone entity with guns.

The Syrian person talked astir Israel arsenic well, pointing retired that Israel has attacked Syria much than 1,000 times since al-Assad fell and continues to inhabit the Golan Heights.

However, al-Sharaa said Syria is focused connected rebuilding and avoiding different war, truthful information talks are nether mode with Israel to scope an statement based connected a 1974 disengagement woody that was mediated by the US.