US President Donald Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026 into law on Thursday. The act includes a provision to lift sanctions on Syria under the 'Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act'. Damascus welcomed the move and called for participation in the country's reconstruction. Meanwhile, the UK imposed sanctions on individuals and entities it said were linked to violence against civilians in Syria, some of whom had financially supported former President Bashar al-Assad. In a separate development, Israel's UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, called for the creation of a demilitarized zone extending from Damascus to the existing buffer area.
