Washington announced on Monday a temporary easing of sanctions on Syria to "not hinder" the provision of essential services to the population.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, announced the expansion of the list of allowed activities and transactions in Syria, one month after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, according to a statement.

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"Given the extraordinary circumstances, and in support of the Syrian people in building a hopeful, safer, and more peaceful future," the Treasury Department aims to ensure that sanctions do "not impede any basic service," such as the "supply of electricity, energy, water, sanitation," or humanitarian aid.

This easing of sanctions is planned over a period of six months during which "the U.S. government will continue to monitor the evolution of the situation on the ground."

The entry into Damascus on Dec. 8 by a coalition of rebels led by the radical Sunni Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) marked the end of the Assad dynasty, which had been in power for over 50 years.

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The Treasury Department clarifies that its initiative does not in any way lift the freeze on assets targeting individuals or entities, "including Assad and his affiliates, the Syrian government, the Syrian Central Bank, or HTS."

The new Syrian leaders have repeatedly called on the administration of future U.S. President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions imposed by the United States.