US Imposes New Sanctions On Assad's Son, Syrian Army Unit

Official accuses Hafez Al Assad and 9 entities of helping to fund the ‘campaign of terror;’ measure also targets those dealing with entities from Russia and Iran

The United States on Wednesday imposed fresh sanctions aimed at depriving the Syrian government of funds, and warned that Washington would blacklist anyone doing business with President Bashar Al Assad’s government until he supports a negotiated end to the country’s nearly decade-long war.

Among the 14 blacklisted on Wednesday were Assad’s son, Hafez Al Assad, a Syrian businessman and nine entities a senior US official accused of helping to fund the Syrian government’s “campaign of terror,” as well as the Syrian Arab Army’s First Division unit, among others.

Hafez, 18, named after his grandfather, will not be allowed to travel or maintain assets in the United States, the State Department said.

“The steady drumbeat of designations on persons and entities that support the Assad regime will continue until the regime and its associates cease obstructing a peaceful political resolution of the conflict” as called for by the UN Security Council, a senior US official told reporters.

The sanctions, imposed under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act and other measures, come as the Syrian leader grapples with a deepening economic crisis after a decade of war.