Trump’s pick for top Middle East diplomat says Syria and Lebanon have ‘golden opportunity’

President Donald Trump’s nominee for the top State Department post overseeing the Middle East said Thursday the US was offering Syria’s interim authorities a “golden opportunity,” following Trump’s decision to lift all sanctions on Damascus.

“I think the president is giving the Syrian people and the Syrian interim authorities a golden opportunity — a chance to rebuild after half a century under oppressive rule,” said Joel Rayburn, nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rayburn said Washington had outlined clear expectations for Syria’s interim government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. These included normalizing relations with Israel and expelling Palestinian militants and other foreign fighters.

Turning to Lebanon, Rayburn said the country also had a window to advance, citing Iran and Hezbollah’s weakened position.

“I think the new Lebanese government has a golden opportunity to take advantage of that and, I know that the administration is working very closely with the Lebanese authorities to help empower them to be able to take advantage of that opportunity,” he said, adding that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is part of that.

He emphasized the importance of maintaining the ceasefire with Israel and stabilizing the border.

“I think in the past, they’ve had some capacity problems. There’s also been a problem of political will. It seems like things are changing in Beirut now, so there’s an opportunity for them to move forward in a way that I think has not been possible,” Rayburn added.