Why Did Britain Lift Sanctions on Syria’s New Interior, Defense, and Intelligence Ministries?

Compared to other Western countries, Britain seems more willing to help Syria get back on its feet by lifting sanctions that were imposed during the rule of the now-ousted Bashar al-Assad.

In a notable move, Britain has lifted the asset freeze on Syria’s Interior and Defense Ministries, as well as several intelligence agencies linked to Assad’s regime.

UK Support for Syria

On April 24, 2025, Britain’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation announced that Syria’s Interior and Defense Ministries had been removed from the sanctions list.

“The Syrian people deserve the opportunity to rebuild their country and economy and a stable Syria is in the UK's national interest,” Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, said in a statement.

A notice from the UK Treasury confirmed that the Interior Ministry, Defense Ministry, and General Intelligence Directorate were among 12 entities no longer subject to asset freezes.

The sanctions relief also extended to sectors like finance and energy, aiming to encourage major investment in Syria’s infrastructure and help rebuild the country and its economy.

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, Syria’s new leadership dissolved all intelligence agencies as well as the Defense and Interior Ministries. These were restructured with new officers and staff, alongside the creation of a new General Intelligence Agency and a National Security Council headed by transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syria welcomed the UK’s decision, calling it “a constructive step toward restoring international relations.”

This move followed Britain’s March 2025 pledge to provide up to £160 million ($200 million) in aid to support Syria’s recovery throughout the year.

Back in March, Britain also unfroze the assets of Syria’s central bank and 23 other entities, including banks and oil companies, that had been sanctioned during Assad’s rule.

These included organizations in the energy, transport, and finance sectors, such as Syrian Airlines, the General Petroleum Corporation, the Agricultural Cooperative Bank, and the Commercial Bank of Syria.

However, Britain kept hundreds of other sanctions in place, particularly targeting individuals and entities associated with Assad’s regime, in order to hold them accountable for their actions while in power.

Responding to the developments, the British Foreign Office said the UK remains committed to a comprehensive political transition in Syria. This includes protecting human rights, ensuring unhindered humanitarian access, safely destroying chemical weapons stockpiles, and continuing counter-terrorism efforts.

The notorious security apparatus built under Hafez al-Assad and maintained by his son Bashar had instilled fear across Syria for 54 years. Until Assad’s fall, the country had 48 intelligence branches that systematically tortured and killed thousands of detainees.

These agencies, along with the Interior and Defense Ministries, led the brutal crackdown during the uprising that left over half a million people dead over 14 years.

Under Bashar, Syria’s main intelligence branches included: Air Force Intelligence, Military Intelligence, General Intelligence, and Political Security. All played key roles in the repression.

Restoring Security

Today, the security challenge stands out as a key factor in stabilizing Syria, especially as Damascus seeks international support to begin rebuilding its economy.

On March 6, 2025, remnants of Assad’s regime attempted to isolate Syria’s coastal region and disrupt the political transition. Officers, fighters, and militias loyal to the ousted regime attacked patrols of the new Syrian state in the coastal provinces of Tartus and Latakia.

But Syria’s Interior and Defense Ministries quickly put down the rebellion, killing or arresting dozens of regime loyalists and restoring security across both provinces in less than 24 hours.

In this context, Syrian military and strategic analyst Colonel Ahmed Hamada said Britain’s decision to lift sanctions on Syria’s defense, interior, and intelligence institutions shows it understands that securing Syria benefits the country, the region, and the world.

Speaking to Al-Estiklal, he said the sanctions relief focused on the institutions responsible for maintaining order, enforcing the law, tracking extremist groups like ISIS, and pursuing fugitive Assad-era officers to bring them to justice.

“If Syria’s Defense and Interior Ministries and its intelligence agency remain weak and under-equipped, chaos could return, giving space for extremist groups to rise again.”

“By lifting sanctions, Britain is acknowledging the need to strengthen Syria’s new security structure so it can restore control, enforce stability, and avoid becoming a threat to its neighbors or the wider world,” he added.

Intelligence Sharing

Observers consider the British move a major policy shift, though its material impact is likely to remain limited unless the United States follows suit.

The key lies in Washington’s potential lifting of banking sanctions, which would allow financial transfers to Syria.

“Britain’s decision to lift sanctions on 12 Syrian entities, including sovereign ministries like defense, interior, and the intelligence services, is a significant step on Syria’s long and difficult road to recovery,” Syrian military and strategic expert Colonel Fayez al-Asmar told Al-Estiklal.

“But I don't expect this to arm the Syrian military with advanced weapons or give them access to cyber or electronic warfare tech. It will likely be limited to standard equipment, intelligence-sharing, or training programs, nothing more.” “Israel will not allow any strategic deals that would enhance Syria’s military or offensive capabilities,” he added.

Given that Syria has relied on Russian weaponry for over seven decades, Britain’s move could pave the way for the new Syrian state to diversify its arms contracts and reduce its dependency on Moscow, according to observers.

Experts suggest this could give the new Syrian state fresh leverage in ongoing negotiations with Russia over the future of its military presence in Syria. That presence began in 2015, when Moscow intervened militarily to support Assad, who later granted Russia two 49-year contracts: one for the Hmeimim airbase in Latakia and another for a naval base in Tartus on the Mediterranean coast.

Today, Damascus is seeking to redefine its relationship with Moscow based on mutual interests rather than dominance—a sharp contrast to the Assad era. Assad himself is now in Moscow, where he was granted humanitarian asylum along with his wife, Asma, and their three children: Hafez, Karim, and Zein.

“We may now see cooperation between British intelligence and its Syrian counterpart on counterterrorism issues,” said Syrian writer and political analyst Samer Khaliwi.

“Military cooperation between London and Damascus could also emerge, now that the sanctions have been lifted, especially considering that Syria’s arms supply, both before and after Assad’s fall, came primarily from the Soviet Union and later Russia,” he added during an interview.

“There are now growing European calls to shut down Russian military bases in Syria in exchange for lifting sanctions, while Moscow is pushing to maintain the previous agreements signed with the Assad regime.”

Meanwhile, Damascus is pressing Russia to hand over Bashar al-Assad and other officers implicated in Syrian bloodshed who fled to Moscow, as well as to return Syrian funds looted by Assad and his inner circle and transferred to Russia.