India, Dec. 19 -- Syria's government and its allies on Friday welcomed the final lifting of the most draconian sanctions imposed on the country in recent decades.

The US Congress imposed the so-called Caesar Act sanctions in 2019, targeting Syria's government and financial system to punish President Bashar al-Assad's administration as it fought to end a nearly 14-year civil war that began in 2011 with Western backing for opposition forces.

ADVERTISEMENT During the conflict, Damascus relied heavily on its ally Iran, which for decades had worked to build an "axis of resistance" to shore up its regional defences. The axis was central to Tehran's strategy to deter Israel and the United States and relied on Syria as a crucial land corridor l...