The Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by Syria's new president as part of a broader U.S. engagement with the transitional government since the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad late last year.
In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he took the step in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary on June 23.
The decision had not been previously announced, although it was made as the Trump administration has been moving to ease or end many U.S. sanctions that had been imposed during Assad's rule.
The step looks to further end Syria's isolation since a lightning rebel offensive ousted the Assad family from decades of rule and gives the new government a boost as it tries to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of civil war .
The brief notice, which was put online in an advance public inspection section of the Federal Register website on Monday, offered no details but said the revocation of the foreign terrorist organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, would take effect when it is formally published.