Lebanon Seeks Economic Cooperation with Syria that Does Not Violate Caesar Act

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab speaks at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon March 6, 2021. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab speaks at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon March 6, 2021. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanon Seeks Economic Cooperation with Syria that Does Not Violate Caesar Act

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab speaks at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon March 6, 2021. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab speaks at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon March 6, 2021. (Dalati & Nohra)

Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab met on Tuesday with a number of ministers to discuss setting an agenda for an official visit of Lebanese ministers to Syria, with the aim of resolving outstanding matters between the two countries.

An official statement said that the meeting included Industry Minister Imad Hoballah, Public Works Michel Michel Najjar, Social Affairs and Tourism Minister Ramzi Musharafieh, Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada and Communications Minister Talal Hawat.

The statement added that the meeting discussed the transit through Syria and other points pertaining to the Caesar Act.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the ministers reviewed the means to cooperate in the tourism, agricultural and industrial fields without violating the Caesar Act.

The US bill deems any commercial, financial and economic dealings with Damascus as a support to the Syrian government and exposes Lebanese individuals, companies and the banking sector to sanctions.

The sources added that the delegation to Damascus would include the ministers of industry, agriculture and public works.

The delegation will be the first to visit Syria in an official capacity under the Diab government. Recent visits were limited to pro-Damascus politicians and to the Minister of Health, Hamad Hassan, who traveled to the Syrian capital earlier this year to obtain oxygen that was lacking in Lebanon in the midst of a severe wave of Covid-19. The Minister of Social Affairs had also visited Damascus to discuss the return of displaced Syrians.



US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
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US Targets Houthis with Fresh Sanctions Action

Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)
Houthi members ride a pick-up truck while on patrol amid tensions with Israel, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 July 2025. (EPA)

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on what it said was a Houthi-linked petroleum smuggling and sanctions evasion network across Yemen and the United Arab Emirates in fresh action targeting the Iran-backed militant group.

The US Treasury Department in a statement said the two individuals and five entities sanctioned on Tuesday were among the most significant importers of petroleum products and money launderers that benefit the Houthis.

"The Houthis collaborate with opportunistic businessmen to reap enormous profits from the importation of petroleum products and to enable the group’s access to the international financial system," said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender.

"These networks of shady businesses underpin the Houthis’ terrorist machine, and Treasury will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt these schemes."

Among those targeted on Tuesday was Muhammad Al-Sunaydar, who the Treasury said manages a network of petroleum companies between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates and was one of the most prominent petroleum importers in Yemen.

Three companies in his network were also designated, with the Treasury saying they coordinated the delivery of approximately $12 million dollars’ worth of Iranian petroleum products with a US-designated company to the Houthis.

Since Israel's war in Gaza against the Palestinian group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

In January, Trump re-designated the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization, aiming to impose harsher economic penalties in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against US warships defending the critical maritime area.

In May, the United States announced a surprise deal with the Houthis where it agreed to stop a bombing campaign against them in return for an end to shipping attacks, though the Houthis said the deal did not include sparing Israel.

The Israeli military attacked Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday in its latest assault on the militants, who have been striking ships bound for Israel and launching missiles against it.