Bashar al-Assad

Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad given a warm welcome at the Arab League summit, marking the return to the Arab fold of the previously shunned leader

The return of Syria to the 22-nation bloc is expected to be at the center of the gathering

The organization suspended the country led by President Bashar al-Assad due to the violent crackdown on demonstrations in 2011

The bill would prohibit Washington from recognizing or normalizing relations with any Syrian government led by Assad, who is under U.S. sanctions

Captagon has long been a lucrative part of Syria's war economy, estimated to be worth billions of dollars a year

The invitation follows Syria’s reintegration into the Arab League and comes a day after Riyadh officially resumed diplomatic missions there

The decision to bring Syria back into the Arab fold consolidates a regional push to normalize ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad

The target, a sewage treatment plant in the south of the country, was hiding a drug factory supervised by the terrorist organization

'We will not normalize with the Assad regime and our sanctions remain in full effect'

After months of deliberations, the agreement was made before voting occurred and was ratified by the vote