US removes Syria from arms export ban list under revised defense trade policy

The US said Wednesday that it lifted its long-standing blanket ban on arms exports to Syria, clearing the way for case-by-case reviews of defense sales and security services to Damascus, Anadolu reports. “The Department of State is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to remove Syria from the list of countries subject to a policy of denial for licenses and other approvals,” the agency said in a public notice published in the Federal Register. The administrative rule formally takes effect Thursday. The regulatory adjustment implements a decision authorized Aug. 19 by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who approved a revised defense trade framework permitting authorities to evaluate individual applications for military equipment and security service transactions bound for […]