US lawmakers propose bill to prevent normalization of Assad regime.

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has introduced the "Assad Regime Anti-Normalization Act of 2023" seeking to counter the normalization of President Bashar al-Assad. The bill would expand economic sanctions against Assad’s financial backers and cronies, and targets individuals involved in the confiscation of Syrian citizens’ property for “personal gain or political purposes”. The legislation builds upon the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, a 2019 law that authorizes sanctions on those who do business with the Syrian government. The bill would require the administration to produce an interagency strategy every year for the next five years on how the United States plans to counter foreign governments' outreach to Syria.