VietJoy

The U.S. has sanctioned 13 entities and six people in an ongoing campaign to cut off revenue to the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. 

The U.S. Treasury Department said Wednesday the governor of the Central Bank of Syria was among those who were blacklisted, as were the head of the Syrian General Intelligence Directorate and a Syrian businessman who was allegedly linked to Assad's government. 

The Treasury also said the sanctions freeze any U.S. assets the individuals and entities hold and generally prohibit Americans from conducting business with them.   

The individuals and entities were targeted, Treasury said, because they were "key enablers" of the Assad government. 

"Those who continue to stand with the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad further enable its corruption and human rights abuses," Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement. 

Assad launched a crackdown on protesters in 2011, leading to a civil war during which Iran and Russia supported Assad, while the U.S. backed the opposition. 

The ongoing civil war has forced millions of Syrians to flee the country and more have been displaced within Syria.