US Congress passes 2026 defence bill - what does it say about the Middle East?

Senate passes $901 billion legislation with vote of 77 to 20

The US Capitol in Washington. The defence bill stipulates that any Iranian weapons seized will be transferred to American military partners. Bloomberg

The US Congress on Wednesday passed the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) for the fiscal year 2026, which outlines Washington's defence priorities and spending for the coming 12 months.

The Senate passed the $901 billion legislation with a vote of 77 to 20. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives last week and will now head to President Donald Trump's desk to be signed into law.

The bill contains a great deal about the Middle East and how the US will approach the region from a defence perspective in the coming year.

It repeals the so-called Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, which were signed into law in 2019 and targeted members of the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad who were accused of war crimes and human rights abuse. The final text of the defence bill was released at the weekend and the legislation could face a vote as early as this week.

The repeal of the sanctions comes with conditions, however: it mandates a review of the situation in Syria every 180 days over the course of four years to ensure Damascus is taking appropriate action in areas such as combating ISIS, removing foreign fighters from government roles and upholding religious and ethnic minority rights.

The legislation also orders an annual report on ISIS detention centres in Syria, as well as a review of US military presence in the country and an analysis of the prospect of reopening the US embassy.

On Iraq, it eliminates the Iraq War Authorisation for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The AUMF gave the president the power to pursue those responsible for the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, which the Bush administration - wrongly - had partially blamed on Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

It also directs support for Iraqi security forces but conditions this aid on its progress in working to push back against the country's powerful Iran-backed militias. It also strengthens operations aimed at countering Tehran's influence throughout the Middle East.

On Lebanon, the bill contains a stipulation that aid to the Lebanese military becomes contingent on its progress in disarming Hezbollah.

It adds that the Secretary of Defence and the head of US Central Command must submit a report by June 30, 2026, on plans to continue financial and material aid, to include a “rubric for assessing the progress of the Lebanese Armed Forces in disarming Hezbollah, and options for suspending assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces if it is determined that such forces are unwilling to act to disarm Hezbollah”.

The legislation also amends a subsection of the 2016 NDAA on defence aid to Lebanon by adding “such support may be used only to promote the ability of the armed forces of Lebanon to counter the threat posed by Lebanese Hezbollah and any other terrorist organisation that threatens the security of Lebanon and its neighbours”.

On Israel, the bill focuses on strengthening the alliance through defence co-operation, including funding for the Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow anti-missile systems and counter-drone systems.

It also extends the US-Israel Anti-Tunnel Co-operation programme until 2028. Militant groups such as Hamas have built extensive tunnel networks under Gaza to avoid detection by the Israeli military. Drug cartels and human traffickers have also created an extensive series of tunnels along the US-Mexico border.

In addition, the bill directs the Secretary of Defence, the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence to assess the impact of international arms embargoes on Israel.

On Yemen, the bill states any Iranian weapons seized from the Houthi rebels will be transferred to military partners.

In March, the US began almost daily strikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels in a bid to ensure the safety of international shipping in the Red Sea and in defence of Israel. The Houthis had been harassing ships crossing the Red Sea and launching drone attacks against Israel in solidarity with beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza.