在霍姆斯，几辆皮卡车的车队扣押了超过70名被怀疑为伊斯兰国成员的人——这是自艾哈迈德·谢拉阿去年十二月夺权以来最大的一次清剿。就在48小时后，谢拉阿在白宫会见了唐纳德·特朗普；特朗普说他将续签《凯撒法案》为期六个月的暂停，并且官员们在11月10日宣布叙利亚将加入自2014年以来帮助伊拉克和库尔德部队从圣战分子手中收复数千平方英里的多国反伊斯联军。

然而情况更为模糊：谢拉阿曾为伊拉克基地组织作战，许多同僚也有相同的出身；叙利亚安全部队有时佩戴伊斯的徽章。伊斯仍保持运作存在，发动过数次暗杀企图并且发动日益频繁的袭击——六月一名自杀式袭击者在大马士革的一座教堂炸死了25名礼拜者——因此对伊斯的搜捕和美国支持的反恐行动仍在继续。

宗教界的支持至关重要：20名宗教学者批准加入该联军，知名教士将该协议描述为防止叙利亚分裂的政治理解。和解有可能改变美国对库尔德领导之叙利亚民主力量的偏好，改变地面上的伙伴平衡，并加强谢拉阿的国际地位和用以施压国内圣战对手的筹码。

In Homs convoys of pickup trucks detained more than 70 suspected IS members—the largest sweep since Ahmed al‑Sharaa seized power last December. Just 48 hours later Mr Sharaa met Donald Trump at the White House; Trump said he would renew a six‑month suspension of the Caesar Act and, officials announced on November 10, Syria would join the multi‑country anti‑IS coalition that since 2014 has helped Iraqi and Kurdish forces reclaim thousands of square miles from the jihadists.

Yet the picture is murky: Mr Sharaa once fought for al‑Qaeda in Iraq and many associates share that lineage; Syrian security units sometimes wear IS insignia. IS retains an operational presence, has mounted several assassination attempts and staged increasingly frequent attacks — in June a suicide‑bomber killed 25 worshippers in a Damascus church — so raids and US‑backed counter‑terrorism operations have continued.

Clerical buy‑in was decisive: 20 clerics gave their blessing to joining the coalition, and prominent clerics framed the deal as a political understanding to prevent Syria’s division. The rapprochement risks shifting US preference away from the Kurdish‑led SDF, alters the balance of partners on the ground, and strengthens Mr Sharaa’s international stature and leverage to pressure jihadist rivals at home.