Syrian Regime Opponents in Washington Await Disclosure of Assad Family’s Wealth

 The US Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew/AFP)
The US Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew/AFP)
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Syrian Regime Opponents in Washington Await Disclosure of Assad Family’s Wealth

 The US Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew/AFP)
The US Capitol is seen at dusk in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew/AFP)

US political circles are awaiting the implementation by US President Joe Biden’s administration of a law on disclosing the sources of the wealth of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his family, and his inner circle.

The bill, which was approved by Congress at the end of 2021, is considered by Syrian regime opponents in Washington a “legal victory for the revolution and the interests of the people.”

Claudia Tenny, a Republican Representative from New York who is active in Syrian issues, was the godmother of this law, which she initially presented as a draft before the House of Representatives.

The law was attached to the budget of the Department of Defense for the fiscal year 2022, and was endorsed by an “overwhelming majority”, in the US House and the Senate.

The bill passed by Congress requires the disclosure of the sources of the wealth of President al-Assad, his family, as well as his inner circle, and requests the US federal agencies to submit a relevant detailed report to the House of Representatives.

According to the law, the period for implementing such request is 90 days from the date of its issuance.

Thus, Syrian regime opponents considered that the US administration “has now become legally bound to publish this report next week.” They described the development as an “American legislative victory against the Assad regime, and in the interest of the Syrian revolution and the popular opposition, which has long pushed the US legislative and executive institutions to adopt more severe measures against the Syrian regime.”

The law requires the US administration to work on an interagency strategy to determine the priorities of US policy in Syria.

The approved amendment No. 6507 stipulated the disclosure of “income from corrupt or illegal activities practiced by the Syrian regime.”

The legal amendment stressed interagency coordination to implement US sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and to monitor endemic corruption in order to ensure that funds are not directed to terrorist groups and malign activities.

Moreover, the legal amendment set out the elements to be included in the report and the US diplomatic strategy, including a description of the desired diplomatic goals to advance US national interests in Syria, and the desired objectives, as well as a presentation of intended US diplomacy there.

Over the past decade, the US political arena has witnessed a state of “tug-of-war” between the legislative and executive institutions, which started during the tenure of former President Barack Obama and ended with the overwhelming approval of Congress on the Caesar Act, which charted US policy in dealing with the Syrian file.

Legislators in Congress are strongly opposed to Biden’s administration leniency towards the Syrian regime, calling for not easing or bypassing the Caesar Act under the pretext of humanitarian aid.

Bassam Barabandi, a political researcher on Syrian affairs, and a former diplomat who defected from the Syrian embassy in Washington, said that the Syrians in the United States were “waiting to see whether the US government respects and implements the law that requires it to disclose al-Assad’s wealth next week.”

He emphasized in this regard that law enforcement was among the most important features of the United States, and a leading foundation, “which Washington demands all countries respect and implement.”

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Barabandi expressed his fear that the law would not be implemented for political reasons pertaining to Iran.

He added that if the Biden administration disregarded the law, some Arab countries would distance themselves from the US. He explained that Washington would not be applying the simplest demands pertaining to Syria, perhaps for regional reasons, despite spending large sums to help civil societies that demand respect for local laws without any discrimination.



Israeli Strikes across Gaza Kill at Least 92 as Israel Prepares to Ramp up Its Offensive

 A man mourns over the body of a victim of an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, which killed at least 29 people, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.(AP)
A man mourns over the body of a victim of an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, which killed at least 29 people, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.(AP)
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Israeli Strikes across Gaza Kill at Least 92 as Israel Prepares to Ramp up Its Offensive

 A man mourns over the body of a victim of an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, which killed at least 29 people, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.(AP)
A man mourns over the body of a victim of an Israeli army strike on a restaurant, which killed at least 29 people, at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 7, 2025.(AP)

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 92 people, including women, children and a local journalist, officials said Wednesday, as Israel prepares to ramp up its campaign in the strip, with the devastating war now entering its 20th month.

Two Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday in central Gaza killed at least 33 people and wounded 86, including several children, though the actual death toll is likely higher, according to health officials.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the strikes.

The new bloodshed comes days after Israel approved a plan to intensify its operations in the Palestinian enclave, which would include seizing Gaza, holding on to captured territories, forcibly displacing Palestinians to southern Gaza and taking control of aid distribution along with private security companies.

Israel is also calling up tens of thousands of reserve soldiers to carry out the plan. Israel says the plan will be gradual and will not be implemented until after US President Donald Trump wraps up his visit to the region later this month.

Any escalation of fighting would likely drive up the death toll. And with Israel already controlling some 50% of Gaza, increasing its hold on the territory, for an indefinite amount of time, could open up the potential for a military occupation, which would raise questions about how Israel plans to have the territory governed, especially at a time when it is considering how to implement Trump’s vision to take over Gaza.

The Israeli offensive has so far killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials who do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Israel blames Hamas for the death toll, saying it operates from civilian infrastructure, including schools.

Strikes target crowds in Gaza City

Wednesday's strikes included two attacks on a crowded market area in Gaza City, health officials said.

Footage posted online reportedly showed the aftermath with men found dead, including one still seated in a chair inside a Thai restaurant, used by locals as a gathering spot, and several children lying motionless on the ground, covered in blood.

Journalist Yahya Sobeih, who freelanced for several local outlets, was among those killed, according to Gaza’s media office. He had shared a photo on Instagram of his newborn baby girl.

Victims of the blasts, some with severe injuries, were taken to nearby Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza health ministry spokesperson Zaher al-Wahidi told The Associated Press.

An attack Tuesday night on a school sheltering hundreds of displaced Palestinians killed 27 people, officials from the Al-Aqsa Hospital said, including nine women and three children. The school has been struck repeatedly since the war began. Earlier, a strike on another school turned shelter in Gaza City killed 16 people, according to officials at Al-Ahli Hospital, while strikes in other areas killed at least 16 others.

In Bureij, an urban refugee camp, paramedics and rescuers rushed to pull people out of a blaze after a large column of smoke and fires pierced the dark skies above the school shelter.

Trump jars Israelis with remark on hostage figures

The war began when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.

Trump on Tuesday stunned many in Israel when he declared that only 21 of the 59 hostages remaining in Gaza are still alive. Israel insists the figure stands at 24, although an Israeli official said there was “serious concern” for the lives of three captives.

The official said there has been no sign of life from those three, whom the official did not identify. He said that until there is evidence proving otherwise, the three are considered to be alive.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details related to the war, said the families of the captives were updated on those developments.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, a group representing the families of the captives, demanded from Israel's government that if there is “new information being kept from us, give it to us immediately.”

It also called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the war in Gaza until all hostages are returned. “This is the most urgent and important national mission,” it said on a post on X.

Since Israel ended a ceasefire with the Hamas group in mid-March, it has unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds and captured swaths of territory. Before the truce ended, Israel halted all humanitarian aid into the territory, including food, fuel and water, setting off what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in 19 months of war.

Key interlocutors Qatar and Egypt said Wednesday that mediation efforts were “ongoing and consistent.” But Israel and Hamas remain far apart on how they see the war ending. Israel says it won't end the war until Hamas' governing and military capabilities are dismantled, something it has failed to do in 19 months of war.

Hamas says it is prepared to release all of the hostages for an end to the war and a long-term truce with Israel.