Self-proclaimed Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, while in New York for the UN General Assembly, is set to request the removal of remaining U.S. sanctions and is expected to receive applause for his speech. However, back in his self-declared “New Syria,” reports of ongoing ethnic cleansing have surfaced, with the Christian village of Habnimra in northern Syria completely burned down by Sunni Muslim militias, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

Al-Sharaa’s address, his second at the UN since taking power in January 2025 after ousting Bashar al-Assad, will highlight Syria’s reconstruction efforts and counterterrorism stance, earning support from some delegates. His earlier meeting with U.S. Foreign Minister Marco Rubio this month signaled a thaw, with al-Sharaa pushing to lift sanctions like the Caesar Act to aid economic recovery. Yet, the SOHR reported that on September 29, Habnimra was razed, displacing over 300 Christians, with survivors alleging targeted attacks by militias aligned with al-Sharaa’s administration, echoing earlier cleansings in Maaloula.