Updated 8 min 22 sec ago
October 3, 2026 15:10
LONDON: For more than four decades, Syria was barred from buying American weapons. This week it is free to do so, at least on paper. As U.S. troops completed their withdrawal from Iraq, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it was removing Syria from Washington’s comprehensive denial list for arms exports. The policy shift clears a path for American firms to seek approval to sell defense articles and services to Damascus. However, experts say major or advanced weapons sales remain unlikely in the short term. The change is the latest in a months‑long easing of U.S. sanctions on Syria’s new government, which is trying to rebuild armed forces devastated by civil war and Israeli strikes that reportedly destroyed more than 80 % of former President Bashar Assad’s arsenal.
- Syria removed from US list that prohibits arms exports, clearing the way for possible legal sales of American weapons
- Experts say the change might enhance US‑Syria strategic ties, particularly counterterrorism and intelligence‑sharing efforts against Daesh
Sameer Saboungi, deputy director and general counsel of the U.S.–Syria Business Council, said the decision “will definitely open the door and provide greater legal avenues for businesses interested in selling or exporting U.S. defense articles to Syria — and there are several.” Based on discussions with defense companies, he expects “significant interest” from firms exploring new opportunities. Still, he added, any initial sales are likely to be limited. “The defense articles sold to Syria will likely be relatively light and, in and of themselves, will not fully, or even nearly, restore Syria’s military arsenal or capabilities,” Saboungi told Arab News.
Even so, such transactions could give Syria’s Ministry of Defense useful equipment and help strengthen strategic and commercial ties between Washington and Damascus. The move also reflects evolving U.S. security calculations. With U.S. forces leaving Iraq and Syria joining the Global Coalition against Daesh in Rome, Syrian authorities may assume a larger role in preventing a resurgence of the group, making a functioning Syrian security apparatus more valuable to the United States for counterterrorism, intelligence sharing and curbing Iranian‑backed militias.
“This suggests that the U.S. has an interest in seeing Syria’s security and military apparatus restored, and Syrian Democratic Forces elements integrated into it, to the extent necessary for Syria to effectively prevent a Daesh resurgence and Iranian proxy activities, while not posing a threat to neighboring countries,” Saboungi said.
For now, the decision is likely to matter more as a political signal than as an immediate opening for significant arms transfers. “The fact that the Syrian government can now legally purchase U.S. weapons is important, symbolically,” said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. However, any sale of advanced weapons remains doubtful while Syria remains formally at war with Israel. Israel would object and ask the president not to allow it, and major deals would face congressional scrutiny.
Under current law, the executive branch must notify lawmakers before large arms sales, giving Congress 30 days to review and potentially veto them. Landis noted that Congress is fiercely pro‑Israel, and no president would endanger Israel by selling arms to Syria without a firm peace agreement between the two nations.
Syria and Israel remain technically at war over the Golan Heights and other captured territory. Nanar Hawach, an expert on Syria, said practical limits on rebuilding the military may be shaped as much by Israel’s willingness to strike dangerous weapons as by U.S. licensing policy. He added that the bigger payoff for Damascus could come from closer cooperation with the United States against Daesh and weapons/drug smuggling, which would make it harder for Israel to persuade Washington that the new authorities are a threat. The prospect of U.S. arms supplies is also unlikely to be a central issue in any future Syrian‑Israeli agreement; more consequential questions involve the extent of Israeli force withdrawals and control of southern Syria.
The U.S. regulatory change formalizes a decision approved by the Secretary of State on Aug. 19, 2026. Under the new defense trade policy, the State Department can review proposed exports and defense‑service transfers to Syria on a case‑by‑case basis. A rule change published this week amended the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) by removing Syria from Section 126.1, which covers prohibited exports, imports and sales involving specified countries.
The amendment follows several legal and policy steps, including rescinding Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism on Aug. 24, waiving restrictions on exports of items on the U.S. Munitions List, and waiving restrictions under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. Companies still need export licenses, and proposed transactions remain subject to ITAR and Bureau of Industry and Security review.