US affirms commitment to sanctions, won't normalize with Syria's Assad: State Department to LBCI

During a press briefing on Wednesday, US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel informed LBCI that the United States reaffirmed its commitment to its core sanctions principles regarding Syria and emphasized to the Arab world that it does not intend to normalize relations with the Assad regime.

"We have been consulting with our regional partners regarding their plans. Countering the trafficking of Captagon in Syria is a shared objective among many in the Arab world, and we will continue to collaborate with them on this issue," added Vedant.

"However, we want to emphasize that we do not support normalization, and we do not view it as an objective or a goal. Nevertheless, we will maintain close consultation with our Arab partners."

Regarding Lebanon, Patel reaffirmed the commitment to the previously issued statement, which called for the election of a corruption-free president.

"I don't have any updates or specific actions to provide. Our statement continues to reflect our desire for the people to elect a leader who can govern and guide the country during these challenging times," he concluded.