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WASHINGTON, US (SEPT. 3, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF OFFICIALS ADDRESSING AT PRESS CONFERENCE WASHINGTON, US - SEPT. 3, 2025: US Congressman Joe Wilson voiced opposition to Israel’s recent airstrikes in Syria and called for lifting US sanctions on Damascus, stressing the need to support Syria’s unity and recovery.

Speaking at an event on Capitol Hill organized by the Syrian American Council, Wilson said he raised concerns with Israeli officials about ongoing strikes.

“I expressed opposition to the most recent bombing last Wednesday, which happened to be the day that I was in Damascus. I missed it, thank goodness. It’s in the interest of everyone to reduce the attacks,” the South Carolina Republican said.

He added that “a stable Syria is a good place to do business.”

Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last December, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes targeting military sites and assets across Syria, including fighter jets, missile systems, and air defense installations.

Israel also expanded its occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights by seizing the demilitarized buffer zone, a move that violated a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Ba'ath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A new transitional administration led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa was formed in January.

During the event on Capitol Hill, Wilson, who visited Damascus last month, described his trip as “very optimistic,” noting both reconstruction opportunities and the possibility of bringing back refugees and the diaspora.

He praised President Donald Trump for lifting sanctions on Syria immediately after the fall of Assad’s regime last December, a step he said normally takes years.

Wilson urged Congress to repeal the Caesar Act sanctions permanently, with conditions tied to ensuring “a unified country that includes Druze, Bedouins, Alawites, and Kurds.”

Representative Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, who also visited Syria earlier this year, echoed Wilson’s remarks, saying he was “struck by the will of the people.”

“There was this relief, but also this excitement to move ahead and to build a new Syria, that there was a new opportunity there. And so the feeling that I got was just overwhelming,” he added.

He also recalled his meeting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying: “I want to see him succeed. I told him, If you succeed, the people of Syria succeed. And that's what this is really all about.”