On September 24, 2025, the marble halls of the United Nations General Assembly in New York buzzed with anticipation as Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president and former rebel leader, prepared to take the podium. For many, this moment marked a dramatic turning point: the first time since 1967 that a Syrian head of state would address the global body. The world watched closely, eager to hear what direction Syria might take after more than a decade of brutal conflict and the recent toppling of the Assad regime.
Al-Sharaa’s path to this historic address has been anything but conventional. Once a commander of the Islamist rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), he rose to power in December 2024 after overthrowing Bashar Assad’s decades-long dictatorship. His ascent was met with both hope and skepticism. According to Fox News Digital, al-Sharaa had previously been associated with terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda and Islamic State, and is still listed as a U.S.-designated terrorist. Yet, since assuming the presidency, he has swapped military fatigues for tailored suits and embarked on a diplomatic charm offensive, meeting with European and Western leaders and seeking to pull Syria out of international isolation.
In the days leading up to his speech, al-Sharaa made headlines by accusing Israel of stalling peace negotiations. Speaking at a closed-door Middle East Institute discussion in New York on September 23, he stated, “There are multiple risks, which is — Israel is stalling all these negotiations and insisting on violating our airspace and incursion in our territories.” He emphasized that Syria posed no threat to any country, including Israel, adding, “We are scared from Israel. We are worried from Israel. It’s not the other way around.” These remarks, reported by Nexstar Media, signaled a departure from his earlier, more optimistic statements about the progress of talks with Israel.
The context for these negotiations is fraught. Since Assad’s ouster, Israel has taken control of a U.N.-buffer zone along the border, a region that has been a flashpoint since the 1974 armistice that ended the 1973 war. According to the Times of Israel, a senior U.S. official claimed that a peace agreement between Israel and Syria was “99% complete” just days before the U.N. General Assembly, with hopes for a formal announcement. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poured cold water on those expectations, telling Reuters, “there was still a ways to go.”
Al-Sharaa has suggested that the 1974 armistice could serve as a framework for a new agreement, one that would require Israeli troop pullbacks and address what he described as more than 1,000 Israeli airstrikes, raids, and incursions into Syria from the Golan Heights since Assad’s fall. He argued that a security arrangement would not only promote stability and economic growth in Syria but also facilitate the return of refugees from neighboring countries and Europe. “If we want stability, we need some type of security arrangement with Israel. Any success in such arrangement will pave the way to perhaps a higher level agreement, where peace would prevail in the region,” al-Sharaa said, as quoted by Nexstar Media.
Al-Sharaa’s appearance at the U.N. was not just about peace with Israel. As reported by Fox News Digital, he aimed to present a sweeping vision for Syria’s future: stability, reconstruction, and reconciliation. The stakes could hardly be higher. The United Nations estimates that rebuilding Syria will require between $250 billion and $400 billion, with 16.7 million people—roughly 75% of the population—in dire need of humanitarian aid. Al-Sharaa’s government has promised to be inclusive, representing all religious and ethnic groups, and to protect the rights of women and minorities. He has also pledged to fight terrorism in all its forms, including ISIS and other extremist groups that have plagued Syria for years.
Yet, questions linger about al-Sharaa’s true intentions and his ability to deliver on these promises. Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford told Fox News Digital, “Al-Sharaa is not a democrat. He ruled Idlib without power-sharing. So far, in terms of control of vital government functions like security, foreign affairs, intelligence and justice, he has put loyalists in place.” Ford did note, however, that since al-Sharaa’s takeover, Syria has seen more political freedom to speak and protest than in many neighboring states, such as Egypt or Algeria.
Ambassador Barbara Leaf, who met with al-Sharaa in December as the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Damascus since 2011, described him as “very well-prepared” and “ready to engage.” Still, she expressed caution: “Does he want to formulate a kind of Islamist governance, conservative governance and social order that, frankly, Syria has not seen? And would he be willing to use force to get there? That’s an unknown.” The transitional government, she noted, is filled with close associates of al-Sharaa and figures aligned with HTS and other armed rebel groups.
Caroline Rose, director of The New Lines Institute, echoed these concerns, highlighting the complex balancing act within Syria’s new leadership. Al-Sharaa must navigate between liberal opposition voices, former regime bureaucrats, and more conservative Islamist factions. This delicate internal balance has, at times, led to gridlock—such as the government’s failure to contain radical Sunni fighters during violent outbreaks in Latakia and Suwayda, and controversial policies like requiring full-body swimwear at public pools and beaches to appease conservative supporters.
Syria’s transition has been marred by violence and sectarian strife. In July 2025, around 1,400 people, mostly civilians from the Alawite and Druze communities, were massacred in the coastal city of Latakia after clashes between Assad loyalists and government forces. The country’s Christian minority has also suffered, with a deadly ISIS bombing at a Greek Orthodox church in June killing 22 worshipers and injuring dozens more. Clashes in Suweida between Bedouin tribes, Druze militias, and government forces drew in Israeli military intervention to protect the Druze, underlining the continuing volatility.
Al-Sharaa’s government must also contend with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have played a pivotal role in the U.S.-led fight against ISIS in Northeast Syria. Successfully integrating the SDF into the Syrian state is seen as crucial to preventing an ISIS resurgence and achieving lasting peace.
Despite these formidable challenges, al-Sharaa’s debut at the U.N. General Assembly was widely seen as a pivotal moment for Syria’s reintegration into the international community. Natasha Hall, a senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News Digital, “This marks the first participation in high-level meetings of a Syrian president at the United Nations General Assembly since 1967, so this is a very big deal.” Hall noted that al-Sharaa would likely emphasize the need for international recognition and the lifting of U.N. sanctions—steps he views as essential for Syria’s recovery.
With the world’s eyes on New York, Ahmed al-Sharaa’s speech has set the stage for a new chapter in Syria’s turbulent history. Whether his promises of peace, inclusivity, and reconstruction will materialize remains to be seen, but for the first time in decades, Syria’s future is being debated not just on the battlefield, but on the world’s most prominent diplomatic stage.
