Report: Trump Rejected Israeli Bid To Preserve Syria Sanctions As Leverage

A request by aides to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States keep some sanctions on Syria in place as future negotiating leverage was turned down by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a report by Kan public broadcaster.

The sanctions in question stem from the Caesar Act, passed by Congress in 2019, which targeted Syria’s government and financial system in response to human rights violations under then-president Bashar Assad during the civil war that erupted in 2011.

Following Assad’s removal a year ago, supporters of lifting the measures argued that the sanctions were deterring foreign investment, stalling reconstruction efforts, and preventing Syria from rebuilding its economy and infrastructure.

Trump had earlier suspended the sanctions on a temporary basis through executive action, before formally approving their repeal late Thursday after Congress included the move in the annual defense spending legislation.

In a statement issued Friday, Syria’s foreign ministry expressed gratitude to Washington for ending the sanctions, saying the move would “contribute to alleviating the burdens on the Syrian people and open the way for a new phase of recovery and stability.”

According to Kan, figures close to Netanyahu exerted significant pressure on Trump administration officials handling the Syria portfolio to leave some sanctions intact. Those reportedly approached included U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.

The report added that the Trump administration offered Israel unspecified “compensation” in exchange for lifting the sanctions in full. Trump has publicly voiced hopes of advancing a diplomatic agreement between Israel and Syria.