Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in New York with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, and the two discussed, among other things, "the importance of Israel-Syria relations for achieving broader regional security," according to a State Department statement. The two discussed U.S. priorities in Syria, ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and efforts to locate missing Americans. Rubio emphasized that "this is an opportunity for Syria to build a stable and sovereign state following President Trump's historic announcement earlier this year on easing sanctions for the Syrian people."