A short video posted online by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani shows al-Sharaa, dressed in formal attire, taking part in a casual game with Cooper and senior US officer Kevin Lambert. The video does not specify when it was filmed, but similar footage of the Syrian president playing basketball surfaced earlier this year, suggesting the sport is one of his personal hobbies.
Al-Sharaa plays basketball with top US generals
Before arriving in Washington, al-Sharaa met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Brazil and held talks with Gulf leaders who have supported his rule since he took power. The meeting with Trump follows their first meeting in Riyadh in May, where Trump announced a “new direction” for US policy on Syria.
“I think he's doing a great job,” Trump said on al-Sharaa last week. “It's a tough area and he's a tough guy, but I got on very well with him. We lifted the sanctions to give them a real chance.”
Trump added that the decision to ease sanctions was made “at the request of Turkey and, frankly, at the request of Israel, as well as other countries.” He said Iran had also asked for help, but gave no details.
Analysts say one of Al-Sharaa's top priorities is to lift remaining restrictions under the Caesar Act, a US law passed in response to atrocities committed by the Assad regime. The law continues to restrict Syria's access to global markets and discourage foreign investment.
The Syrian state news agency SANA, which supports al-Sharaa's government, described the visit as a “historic step towards normalization” of relations with Washington. However, regional observers called it part of a broader effort to rehabilitate the image of the new Syrian president internationally.
The last meeting between the leaders of the United States and Syria took place in 2000, when Bill Clinton met with Hafez al-Assad in Geneva.
