“These designations send a clear message to those who seek to undermine the peaceful and prosperous future of all Syrians,” Yvette Cooper added.
Cooper said the UK remained committed to working with the Syrian government to “support the country’s economic recovery and deliver for a Syria that recognises the voices and needs of all citizens”.
Since Islamist-led rebels ousted Assad last December, sectarian divisions have been exposed in Syria.
Violence erupted this spring along Syria’s coast, pitting security forces of the new government – mostly Sunni Muslims – against armed men linked to the former regime. The clashes occurred in the heartland of the Alawites – an offshoot sect of Shia Islam which Assad belongs to.
Under Assad’s 24-year rule, peaceful protests against his regime were violently repressed, eventually leading to 13 years of civil war that saw more than half a million people killed.
The individuals sanctioned by the UK government are:
Ghaith Dalla – A former senior regime military commander, leader of a pro-regime militia group.
Miqdad Fatiha – A former regime military commander, leader of a pro-regime militia group.
Mohammad al-Jasim – Commander of Sultan Suleiman Shah militia group.
Sayf Boulad – Commander of Hamza Division militia group
Mudallal Khoury – a Syrian-Russian businessman who helped finance the activities of the Assad regime
Imad Khoury –a Syrian-Russian businessman who helped finance the activities of the Assad regime
They will be subject to an asset freeze, travel ban and banned from acting as company directors in the UK.
The militant groups Sultan Murad Division, Sultan Suleiman Shah Division and Hamzat Division are also subject to an asset freeze under the sanctions, the Foreign Office also said.
Earlier this year, the UK lifted asset freezes on Syrian bodies including government departments and the country’s central bank following its change of regime.
The then Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited the country in July and met its interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa.