"I am proud to have worked with the Chairman to introduce the Senate version of this bill… and look forward to swiftly moving this legislation out of Congress so the President [Donald Trump] can sign it into law", Menendez said Wednesday.
The Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act of 2019, passed by the House in January, would require the US president to impose new sanctions on anyone who does business with or provides financing to the Syrian government including security services and the country’s central bank, according to text of the legislation.
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Menendez added that the bill, which still needs to be passed by the Senate, sends a clear message that governments and entities that support the Syrian government — including Russia, Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, and Iran-backed Shia militias — will face consequences.
In November, the White House in a statement said that the Trump administration strongly supports the bill.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups and militant and terrorist organizations.
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The United States and its allies have been conducting military operations in Syria and neighbouring Iraq since 2014. The actions of the US-led coalition actions in Syria have never been authorized by Damascus or the UN Security Council.