U.S. imposes sanctions on Syrian bank, mobile phone operator

In a move aiming to put further pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad and his government to stop violence against anti- government protesters, the Department of Treasury added to its sanctions list the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria, its Lebanon-based subsidiary, Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank and Syriatel, the largest mobile phone operator in the Arab nation.

"By exposing Syria's largest commercial bank as an agent for designated Syrian and North Korean proliferators, and by targeting Syria's largest mobile phone operator for being controlled by one of the regime's most corrupt insiders, we are taking aim at the financial infrastructure that is helping provide support to Assad and his regime's illicit activities," Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David Cohen said in a statement.