U.S. Eases Some Restrictions on Humanitarian Aid to Syria

The Biden administration on Monday lifted some restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria but kept sweeping sanctions in place just weeks after rebel forces toppled the Assad family’s 50-year authoritarian grip on the country.

The authorization by the Treasury Department is a sign of how Washington is taking tentative steps to navigate its approach to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel faction that took down the government in Damascus. The group was once an affiliate of Al Qaeda and, although it has broken with the organization, it remains a designated a terrorist group by the U.S. government.

The decision by the Treasury, which lasts for six months, allows humanitarian groups to operate more freely without running afoul of U.S. sanctions, including by helping to provide basic services such as electricity, energy, water and sanitation.

During Syria’s civil war, which began in March 2011, the United States and its allies routinely looked to apply economic pressure on the now-ousted President Bashar al-Assad, his inner circle and the country’s economy writ large, leaving Syria as one of the Treasury’s “most comprehensively sanctioned jurisdictions,” according to a news release by the department.

The United States across three administrations slapped increasingly punitive sanctions on Syria, to such an extent that some analysts questioned whether they had become counterproductive and overly harmful to civilians.

“The end of Bashar al-Assad’s brutal and repressive rule, backed by Russia and Iran, provides a unique opportunity for Syria and its people to rebuild,” Wally Adeyemo, the deputy Treasury secretary, said in the statement. “During this period of transition, Treasury will continue to support humanitarian assistance and responsible governance in Syria.”