Israel asked the Trump administration not to lift all the sanctions on the Syrian regime, but was rejected, Kan 11 News reported on Saturday night.
According to the report, people in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s circle approached associates of President Donald Trump and tried to persuade them not to remove the sanctions, with the goal of keeping some of them for future negotiations. However, Trump’s associates opposed the request.
Two Israeli officials told Kan 11 News that the Trump administration promised Israel “compensation” in light of the refusal.
Earlier this week, the US Congress voted to permanently end sanctions on Syria that were imposed under ousted leader Bashar Al-Assad, clearing the way for renewed foreign investment in the war-torn country.
Trump had already suspended implementation of the sanctions twice, following appeals from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, both key backers of Syria’s new government led by former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Sharaa, who now heads the Damascus leadership, sought a full repeal of the restrictions, warning that businesses would remain reluctant to engage with Syria as long as the sanctions remained law in the world’s largest economy.
The Senate passed the repeal of the 2019 Caesar Act as part of its annual defense package, with a 77-20 vote, after approval in the House of Representatives. The measure now awaits Trump’s signature.
The Caesar Act, enacted in 2019, was named after an anonymous Syrian military photographer whose images documented atrocities in Assad’s prisons. The law had imposed sweeping restrictions on investment and cut Syria off from the international banking system.
On Friday, Sharaa delivered a speech to the Syrian people. He congratulated them on the lifting of all sanctions and thanked Trump, the Saudi crown prince, the Qatari prime minister, and the president of Turkey.
Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist organization by the US in July. Since taking power, Syria’s new leadership has sought to distance itself from its extremist past and present a more moderate image.