US Amends Syria Sanctions Rules over NGO Activities

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
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US Amends Syria Sanctions Rules over NGO Activities

Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
Signage is seen at the United States Department of the Treasury headquarters in Washington, DC, US, August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

The United States on Wednesday took action to allow nongovernmental organizations deal with elements of Syria's government despite US sanctions and gave them wider latitude in their activities in order to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

The US Treasury Department said in a statement it amended existing rules called the Syrian Sanctions Regulations to expand the authorizations for NGOs to engage in certain transactions and activities, Reuters reported.

It also amended a general license for NGOs to enable them to take part in additional transactions and activities in support of not-for-profit actions in Syria including new investment, purchase of refined petroleum products of Syrian origin for use in Syria and certain transactions with parts of the government.

"The US government prioritizes expanding humanitarian access throughout Syria to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, who continue to face armed conflict, food insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic," Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, said in the statement.

The department said the new transactions and activities in the amended general license are authorized only in support of not-for-profit activities already allowed such as humanitarian projects and democracy-building.

Former President Donald Trump's administration last June imposed sweeping US sanctions targeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his inner circle to choke off revenue for his government in a bid to force it back to UN-led negotiations and broker an end to the country's decade-long war.

"The United States continues to focus on deterring the malign activities of Bashar al-Assad, his regime, cronies and foreign enablers, as well as terrorist groups, including by limiting their ability to access the international financial system and global supply chains," Gacki said.



UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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UN Rights Chief ‘Gravely Concerned’ by Lebanon Escalation

Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
Smoke billows above Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli airstrike on November 26, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)

The UN rights chief on Tuesday voiced concern about the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, where his office said nearly 100 people had been reported killed by Israeli airstrikes in recent days, including women, children and medics.

Israel has been locked in fighting with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah since Oct. 2023, and fighting has escalated dramatically since late September of this year.

"UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk is gravely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon with at least 97 people reportedly killed in Israeli airstrikes between the 22nd and 24th of November," Jeremy Laurence, a spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, told a Geneva press briefing.

He said that at least seven paramedics had been reported killed in three Israeli strikes in the south of Lebanon on Nov. 22-23, adding to 226 healthcare worker deaths since Oct. 7, 2023. He did not specify how many of the recent deaths had been verified by UN human rights monitors.

Israel says it targets military capabilities in Lebanon and Gaza and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. It accuses Hezbollah, like Hamas, of hiding among civilians, which they deny.