Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, who formerly led Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and says he has severed ties with al-Qaeda, has pledged to recognize Israel and join the Abraham Accords, which US media outlets say Trump considers his first-term foreign policy achievement.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump lifted all sanctions on Syria and called on Sharaa to "recognize Israel and expel Palestinian organizations." In response to a CNN question on his plane to Qatar, Sharaa described him as a "strong, attractive young man."

"He has a real chance to hold it together," Trump added. "I spoke with President (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, who is a good friend of his. He feels he has a chance to do a good job. It's a torn country."

Sharaa, 42, met with Trump—the first high-level meeting between the two countries in 25 years—along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Erdogan, who joined them by phone.

Al-Sharaa, who was known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, said he first needed time to stabilize his country, according to a source close to the talks. Syria remains in turmoil after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power in January.

Speaking in Qatar, where he had traveled after visiting Saudi Arabia, Trump said it was an "honor" to lift sanctions on Syria. He said, "Let's see what happens, and I'm honored to have done that. I thought it was good, and let's see what happens, but we're going to give him a fighting chance."

According to US officials, Sharaa is also considered anti-Iran, which will boost his popularity in Washington. He has previously criticized Tehran's influence in Syria, as well as its proxies, which help destabilize the Middle East.

He stated last year that by toppling former President Bashar al-Assad, he and his army "set Iran's regional project back 40 years."

He told Arab media after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime: "By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we served the interests of the region."

The two leaders met for 33 minutes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, after Trump announced that the United States would lift all sanctions on Syria to give it a "fresh start" and a "chance for greatness" under its new Islamic leadership.

Al-Sharaa spent several years fighting against US-led forces on behalf of al-Qaeda in Iraq. He was arrested for planting a roadside bomb in Mosul in 2006 and spent five years in US custody, including the notorious Abu Ghraib prison.

Trump said he believes Syria will join the Abraham Accords at some point. I think they have to improve themselves. I told him, "I hope they join when things improve." He said, "Yes." But they have a lot of work ahead of them.

When asked if there was any talk of a Trump Tower being built in Damascus—after Sharaa told intermediaries he could offer that possibility—Trump said, "No, I haven't heard of that. We've got to wait a little while for things to calm down, a little while with the country. I think he has the potential—he's a real leader. He led a campaign and he's truly amazing."

Trump called on Syria to cooperate with the United States on terrorism issues, including deporting all "Palestinian terrorists" and assuming responsibility for ISIS detention centers in northeastern Syria.

According to the British newspaper, The Times, Sharaa does not plan to challenge Israel's control of the Golan Heights, the strategically important territory it occupied in 1967, nor the buffer zone its forces established to protect the area as part of a private agreement with Trump to work toward the Abraham Accords.