Syria says new tougher U.S. sanctions breach international law

Syria said Washington's toughest sanctions against President Bashar al-Assad's government, which came to effect on Wednesday, violated international law. Syria will resist the fresh sanctions, which penalised 39 companies and individuals including Assad, his wife Asma and her family, according to a statement by the foreign ministry carried on state media.

The new travel restrictions and financial sanctions strike Assad at a time when he is grappling with a deepening economic crisis in a country ravaged by nine years of war, and a rare outbreak of protests in government-held areas.