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Under its new leadership, Syria appears to be warming up to both the United States and Israel, as evidenced by a recent survey highlighting a shift in public sentiment towards these countries. This change in perspective is gaining attention as it marks a significant development in regional dynamics.
The survey, conducted by YouGov for the Council for a Secure America, reveals that a notable 65% of Syrians now view US involvement in their country positively. In contrast, only 12% expressed disapproval, while the remaining respondents were either undecided or maintained a neutral stance.
Even more surprising, the poll indicates that 59% of Syrians believe that peace with Israel is a foreseeable possibility. This optimism is juxtaposed against the 14% who deem it unlikely, with others remaining undecided or neutral on the matter.
When it comes to security collaborations with Israel, 64% of those surveyed showed support, a striking contrast to the 9% who opposed the idea. The rest were either neutral or had no particular opinion on the topic.
Furthermore, the poll illuminates the Syrian public’s stance on normalization with Israel post a Palestinian resolution. Here, 47% expressed support for such a move, while 13% were against it. A considerable portion, 40%, remained uncertain, reflecting the complexity and sensitivity surrounding the issue.
Another eye-popping statistic: 70% of Syrians described Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah as having a negative impact on the country.
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had close ties to Hezbollah and Iran.
There’s also good news for new Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa — 69% of residents gave him a “good” performance rating compared to 12% who rated him poorly and 19% were on the fence.
The survey questioned 260 Syrians age 18 and older from an active panel of 40,000 members during January 8 to 15. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The Trump administration has strongly supported Syria’s new president, Sharaa, despite being a former member of al-Qaeda.
His government has worked to secure control over Syria after its successful overthrow of predecessor Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
But US forces are still actively trying to rid the region of ISIS.
The US military conducted large-scale airstrikes against multiple ISIS targets in Syria — capturing or killing 50 ISIS terrorists — in the continued retaliation for the killing of two US soldiers, authorities announced on Saturday.
Elsewhere, in Lebanon, 63% of respondents support efforts to disarm Hezbollah while only 9% were opposed and the rest undecided, according to another YouGov poll.
Moreover, 52% of Syrians said the terror group is hurting Lebanon’s security, another indication of Iran’s declining influence in the region, the Council for a Secure America said.
Only 11% of respondents had a positive view of Hezbollah and more than one-third had no opinion.
But unlike Syrians, more Lebanese view the US negatively rather than positively — 39% vs. 27%. About one-third have no opinion, the survey revealed.
Asked how likely or unlikely it is that there will be peace between Israel and Lebanon in the future, 40% of respondents said likely, compared to 24% who said unlikely and the remainder neutral.
Only about one-quarter of Lebanese respondents supported normalization of the relationship with Israel after the Palestinian-Israel conflict is settled, far lower support than in Syria.
The poll of 252 Lebanese adults last month also has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points, chosen from 80,000 active panel members.
“Council for a Secure America polls demonstrate that Syrian and Lebanese public opinion continues to gravitate away from Hezbollah. While Israeli normalization is not yet on the horizon, we are seeing significant shifts in Syria, with a majority believing that eventual peace with Israel is possible,” said Jennifer Suton, executive director of Council for a Secure America.
“These trends provide an opportunity for the U.S. to reinforce traditional geopolitical partners, weaken proxy forces, promote peace and stability, and discourage external entities from destabilizing the region. We remain cautiously hopeful, but ever-clear-eyed, as historic developments in the Middle East unfold,” she added.
The Council for Secure America is a pro-energy group that supports strong US-Israel ties and the Abraham Accords. It also supports American energy independence.