Damascus hits out at new sanctions by Washington

The Syrian government has condemned new unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States on the Middle East country on Wednesday, calling them a form of "terrorism" perpetrated by Washington on the war-scarred country.

The measures are the first to take effect under the so-called Ceasar Act, which punishes any companies that work with Damascus and seeks to prevent this normalization without accountability for human rights abuses.

It also blocks US reconstruction assistance.