US revokes foreign terrorist designation for Syria's HTS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Donald Trump's administration has revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, according to a State Department memo filed on Monday, a major step as Washington moves to ease sanctions on Syria. The June 23 dated memo was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was published in a preview of the Federal Register before official publication on Tuesday. The move comes a week after Trump signed an executive order terminating a U.S. sanctions program on Syria, to help end the country's isolation from the international financial system and building on Washington's pledge to help it rebuild after a devastating civil war.