I. Legislative Branch
1) Legislation
Senate Bill Seeks to Repeal Certain Syria Sanctions. On November 10, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced S.3172, which would repeal the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 and the Syria Human Rights Accountability Act of 2012, both of which call for sanctions on Syria.
House Resolution Recognizes Gaza Genocide of Palestinians. On November 13, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced H.Res.876, which recognizes that the Israeli government has committed genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza and calls on the United States to take “immediate, concrete action to fulfill its binding legal obligations as a party to the Genocide Convention to prevent and punish the crime of genocide.”
Democrats Urge Markup of West Bank Violence Prevention Act. On November 10, Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), and Jim Himes (D-CT) sent a letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Chairman Brian Mast (R-FL) urging him to schedule a markup of H.R.3045, the West Bank Violence Prevention Act, after the bill reached 100 cosponsors. Companion legislation was introduced in the Senate in August 2025 (S.2667).
The bill would enshrine into law President Joe Biden’s Executive Order 14115, which created a sanctions program to punish West Bank settlers who perpetrate violence against Palestinians. They criticized President Donald Trump’s repeal of the executive order on January 20, 2025, stating that “as a result, violent extremist organizations…are no longer designated under the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List…with their assets no longer frozen, these groups continue wreaking terror in the West Bank unencumbered.”
2) Personnel and Correspondence
Lawmakers Meet with Syrian President. On November 10, HFAC Chairman Mast released a statement following his meeting with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The statement quoted Mast saying of al-Sharaa,
He and I are two former soldiers and two former enemies. I asked him directly ‘Why we are no longer enemies?’ His response was that he wishes to ‘liberate from the past and have a noble pursuit for his people and his country and to be a great ally to the United States of America.’
On November 11, following an SFRC members’ meeting with al-Sharaa, Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID) and Ranking Member Shaheen issued a statement declaring, “As Congress moves forward to pass the bipartisan legislation that would fully repeal Caesar sanctions against Syria, the world is watching how Syria treats its own people and its neighbors. If Syria continues on its current trajectory, we have no doubt policymakers and investors alike will have confidence about Syria’s future.”
Senate Republicans Applaud Administration’s Exclusion of UNRWA from Gaza Peace Process.On November 13, SFRC Chairman Risch, joined by Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE), led 24 other Senate Republicans in a letter urging the Trump administration to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) plays no role in stabilizing or rebuilding Gaza, citing UNRWA’s alleged ties to Hamas.
II. Executive Branch
1) White House
Kushner Meets with Netanyahu on Gaza Ceasefire. On November 10, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem to discuss Trump’s Gaza peace plan. According to an Israeli government spokeswoman, the two discussed “the future of phase two of this plan, which includes…demilitarizing Gaza and ensuring Hamas will have no role in the future of Gaza ever again” and “the establishment of the international stabilization force.”
Trump Meets al-Sharaa; Syria Granted Temporary Suspension of Caesar Act. On November 10, President Trump met with Syrian President al-Sharaa at the White House and later said on Truth Social that they discussed “all the intricacies of PEACE in the Middle East,” adding that “having a stable and successful Syria is very important to all countries in the region.”
After the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a 180-day suspension of the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria (except for transactions involving Russia or Iran). The Caesar Act can only be fully suspended through congressional legislation.
Trump Urges Pardon for Netanyahu. On November 12, President Trump sent a letter to Israeli President Isaac Herzog asking him to pardon Netanyahu on corruption charges, calling his prosecution “political [and] unjustified.”
2) Department of State
Top US Officials Meet with Turkish and Syrian Foreign Ministers. On November 10, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary Rubio met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss efforts to secure the return of deceased Israeli hostages’ remains and to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. The following day, Rubio met again with Fidan, joined by Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad al-Shaibani, to discuss regional stability and security, counterterrorism, Syria’s joining the global coalition against the so-called Islamic State, and efforts to locate missing Americans in Syria.
Rubio Attends G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. On November 11-12, Secretary Rubio attended the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Niagara, Canada. The G7 released a final statement reaffirming support for Trump’s Gaza plan and expressing concern about continuing restrictions on the flow of humanitarian aid to the enclave. The statement also urged Iran to engage in direct nuclear talks with the United States, condemned ethnic violence against civilians by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and called for a permanent ceasefire in Sudan.
Rubio Discusses Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria. On November 12, at the conclusion of the G7 conference, Secretary Rubio held a press conference where he discussed several Middle East issues.
On Sudan, Rubio said that “something needs to be done to cut off the weapons and the support that the RSF is getting.” When asked about the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) role in arming the RSF, he said, without naming the UAE, “We know who the parties are that are involved… at the highest levels of our government that case is being made and that pressure is being applied” to end the support.
On Gaza, Rubio said that the United States is “optimistic” about establishing, via a UN Security Council resolution, an international stabilization force (ISF). When asked if the ISF would be involved in demilitarizing Hamas, Rubio responded that “it shouldn’t be a fighting force,” that Hamas made a “commitment to demilitarize,” and that the United States expects that “partners” in the Gaza ceasefire agreement will “bring about pressure on Hamas to live up to that commitment.”
On the West Bank’s escalating settler violence, Rubio said, “Certainly there’s some concern about events in the West Bank spilling over and creating an effect that could undermine what we’re doing in Gaza.”
On Syria, Rubio said that the Trump administration wants to give the new Damascus government “every chance to succeed,” warning that if it fails, “what you’re going to see is Syria fall into total civil war, and it’ll just become an ungoverned space and a playground for ISIS, for Hizballah, for Iran, for al-Qaida, for every dangerous element in the region.”
Department Approves Military Sale to Iraq. On November 13, the Department of State approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq of a Country-Wide Repeater System (a type of radio communications network) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $100 million.
Rubio Speaks with UAE Foreign Minister. On November 14, Secretary Rubio spoke with UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss US-UAE relations, implementation of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, and the need for a humanitarian ceasefire in Sudan.
3) Department of War
AFRICOM Conducts More Strikes in Somalia. On November 10, US forces conducted an airstrike against the so-called Islamic State in Somalia. On November 11, 13, 14, and 15, US forces conducted airstrikes against al-Shabab in Somalia.
CENTCOM Conducts Operations in Syria. On November 12, CENTCOM announced that from October 1 to November 6, the US-led Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve, in coordination with Syrian partners, advised, assisted, and enabled more than 22 operations against the so-called Islamic State, resulting in the killing of five members and the capture of 19.
CENTCOM Says Iranian Forces Illegally Seized Tanker. On November 16, CENTCOM released a statement accusing Iran of violating international law when Iranian forces illegally boarded and seized a commercial tanker in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz on November 14.
4) Department of the Treasury
Treasury Sanctions Transnational Procurement Networks Supporting Iran. On November 12, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 32 entities and individuals based in Iran, the UAE, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany, and Ukraine for supporting Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle production.
