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US removes Syria from arms export ban as Trump administration draws closer to new Syrian government
Arms sales requests from Syria will now be reviewed case by case as the State Department eases sanctions and prepares to reopen its embassy.
On Wednesday, the State Department removed Syria from its International Traffic in Arms Regulations denial list; effective Thursday, arms sales requests will be reviewed case-by-case.
Former rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa overthrew the Assad government nearly two years ago and has pursued policy changes that impressed the Trump administration.
The State Department plans to reopen the Embassy in Damascus, closed for 14 years, while only seven countries remain subject to the arms export denial policy.
In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio rescinded Syria's state sponsor of terrorism designation, building on President Donald Trump's action last year to ease economic sanctions.
These diplomatic moves aim to foster stability in Syria, a country wracked by civil war and the Islamic State insurgency that previously engulfed northeast and western Iraq for years.