US senator warns Syria against force on Kurds, threatens Caesar Act revival
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – US Senator Lindsey Graham said that any military action by Syria’s new government against Syrian Kurds or the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would cause “tremendous instability” and prompt him to push for the reactivation of tough US sanctions under the Caesar Act.
In a post on the X platform on Thursday, the Republican senator from South Carolina wrote: “If there is use of military force by the new Syrian government against Syrian Kurds and the SDF, that would create tremendous instability in Syria and the region and would tell me all I need to know about this new regime.”
He added: “If military action is taken by the Syrian government, I will do everything in my power to revive the Caesar Act sanctions, making them even more bone crushing.”
Graham is a senior member of the US Senate and has been involved for years in discussions related to US foreign policy and sanctions on Syria. The Caesar Act, which came into force in 2020, imposed wide-ranging economic sanctions on the Syrian government and entities dealing with it, aiming to pressure Damascus over human rights violations.
The comments come amid continued uncertainty over the policies of Syria’s new authorities toward areas outside their control, particularly the regions administered by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), where the US-backed SDF maintains security and oversees local governance.