The US is set to imminently announce an easing of restrictions on providing humanitarian aid and other basic services such as electricity to Syria while still keeping its strict sanctions regime in place, according to people briefed on the matter.The decision by the outgoing Biden administration will send a signal of goodwill to Syria’s new rulers and aims to pave the way for improving tough living conditions in the war-ravaged country while also treading cautiously and keeping US leverage in place.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.A spokesperson for the US Treasury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.US officials have met several times with members of the ruling administration, led by former al-Qaeda affiliate “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,” since the dramatic end on Dec. 8 of more than 50 years of al-Assad family rule after a lightning armed opposition offensive.HTS, the faction that led the advance, has long-since renounced