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EU Eases Sanctions on Syria to Speed up Aid to Quake Victims

Syrian artists draw on the rubble of damaged buildings from the earthquake in Syria. (Reuters)
Syrian artists draw on the rubble of damaged buildings from the earthquake in Syria. (Reuters)
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EU Eases Sanctions on Syria to Speed up Aid to Quake Victims

Syrian artists draw on the rubble of damaged buildings from the earthquake in Syria. (Reuters)
Syrian artists draw on the rubble of damaged buildings from the earthquake in Syria. (Reuters)

The European Union said on Thursday it was temporarily easing sanctions on Syria to speed up aid deliveries to the country two weeks after the devastating earthquake.

The change made Thursday means "the EU has waived the need for humanitarian organizations to seek prior permission from EU member states' national competent authorities to make transfers or provide goods and services intended for humanitarian purposes to listed persons and entities", the European Council said in a statement.

The measure will last six months and was taken "in view of the seriousness of the humanitarian crisis in Syria, exacerbated by the earthquakes".

The devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6 killed over 43,000 people in Türkiye and over 3,600 in Syria.

The EU and its member states are leading donors of humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict in Syria. Since 2011, the European Union and its member states have dedicated €27.4 billion ($29 billion) of humanitarian funding to Syria and neighboring countries in tackling the crisis.

Since the devastating earthquake, the EU and its member states have provided €3.5 million ($3.7 million) in humanitarian assistance to cover the most urgent needs.

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its affiliates are subject to European sanctions because of their repression of the people during the years of the conflict.

The EU sanctions, imposed in 2011, target 291 individuals and 70 entities for asset freezes and a travel ban.

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Arab World

Syrian Leader Announces Support for Lebanese Counterpart to Disarm Hezbollah

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
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Syrian Leader Announces Support for Lebanese Counterpart to Disarm Hezbollah

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa attends the Ministry of Awqaf conference titled "Unity of Islamic Discourse" at the Conference Palace in Damascus, Syria, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday declared his support for his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun in the latter's effort to disarm Hezbollah, state media reported.

The Middle East war expanded to Lebanon on March 2, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah fired rockets towards Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of US-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting Israeli retaliation.

Since March 2, Israel has been conducting large-scale air raids on Lebanon and incursions with ground troops, killing at least 486 people according to the Lebanese health ministry.

"We stand alongside Lebanese president Joseph Aoun in disarming Hezbollah," Sharaa said during a video conference with top European officials.

The Syrian army has bolstered its troop deployments on the country's borders with Lebanon and Iraq, a Syrian government source told AFP on Wednesday.

"We have reinforced our defensive forces along the border as a precaution to prevent the repercussions of the conflict from spilling over onto Syrian territory, and to combat cross-border organizations and prevent them from using Syrian soil," Sharaa said.

On Monday, Aoun accused Hezbollah of seeking the "collapse" of the Lebanese state with its decision to launch rockets towards Israel.

Iran-backed Hezbollah was a prominent ally of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, sending forces to help him in the civil war.

His brutal rule was brought to an end in December 2024 and he was replaced by new authorities hostile to Hezbollah.

Arab World

Lebanese President Lashes Out at Hezbollah, Says Open to Negotiations with Israel

Members of the Lebanese Civil Defense inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Members of the Lebanese Civil Defense inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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Lebanese President Lashes Out at Hezbollah, Says Open to Negotiations with Israel

Members of the Lebanese Civil Defense inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Members of the Lebanese Civil Defense inspect a damaged building after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following renewed hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday accused Hezbollah of working towards the "collapse" of the state, after the pro-Iran group launched an attack on Israel, expressing Beirut's readiness for "direct negotiations" with Israel. 

Begun after Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel a week ago, Israel's bombing campaign has killed at least 394 people and displaced more than half a million. 

"Whoever launched those missiles wanted to bring about the collapse of the Lebanese state, plunging it into aggression and chaos... all for the sake of the Iranian regime's calculations and this is what we have thwarted so far and what we will continue working to bring down and foil," Aoun told top European officials in an online meeting. 

He added that the party's rocket launches "were an almost transparent trap and ambush for Lebanon, the Lebanese state, and the Lebanese people". 

To stop the war, the Lebanese president proposed a four-point initiative and called on the international community to help implement it. 

It included "establishing a full truce" with Israel, "logistical support" for the army to disarm Hezbollah, and "direct negotiations (with Israel) under international auspices". 

The EU's top diplomat called for a 2024 ceasefire to be upheld to prevent Lebanon from "sliding into chaos," saying Israel's "heavy-handed" response to Hezbollah attacks was further destabilizing the region.  

"Israel should cease its operations in Lebanon," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said in a statement after crisis talks with a dozen Middle East leaders including Aoun.  

She likewise called for Hezbollah to "disarm and cease all actions against Israel," saying: "Diplomacy and a return to the ceasefire offer the best chance of averting Lebanon from sliding into chaos." 

Arab World

Israel Says Killed Head of Hezbollah Unit in South Lebanon

This photograph taken during a media tour organized by the Hezbollah shows a man installing a flag of Hezbollah on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
This photograph taken during a media tour organized by the Hezbollah shows a man installing a flag of Hezbollah on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
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Israel Says Killed Head of Hezbollah Unit in South Lebanon

This photograph taken during a media tour organized by the Hezbollah shows a man installing a flag of Hezbollah on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)
This photograph taken during a media tour organized by the Hezbollah shows a man installing a flag of Hezbollah on the balcony of a damaged building at Nabi Sheet town after an Israeli military operation in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP)

Israel announced on Monday that its military had killed the head of Hezbollah's Nasr unit operating in part of southern Lebanon during renewed fighting with the Iran-backed armed group.

Defense minister Israel Katz "was briefed on the elimination of the commander of Hezbollah's Nasr Unit", Abu Hussein Ragheb, during an overnight strike, a statement from the defence ministry said, Reuters reported.

The Nasr unit operates in an eastern sector south of Lebanon's Litani River and opened Hezbollah's cross-border attacks on Israel following Hamas's attack in October 2023.