President Donald Trump on Monday lifted U.S. sanctions on Syria, signing an executive order to carry out a promise he made in May. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters ahead of the signing that Trump's action was designed to "promote and support the country's path to stability and peace.

U.S. officials said sanctions against targets such as its central bank would end, but they would remain on Syria’s former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

Middle East adversaries Israel and Syria have held discussions for weeks about normalization, officials say.