At least 120 people were killed in the two-day crackdown, the Committee of the Martyrs of the 15 March Revolution said. –Photo by AP

WASHINGTON: The US government is preparing sanctions against senior officials in the entourage of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who are overseeing a violent crackdown against protesters in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday.

Citing unnamed officials, the newspaper said the administration of Barack Obama was drafting an executive order empowering the US president to freeze the assets of these officials and ban them from any business dealings in the United States.

The report came as Syrian security forces shot dead four people and made arrests across Syria on Sunday.

At least 120 people were killed in the two-day crackdown, the Committee of the Martyrs of the 15 March Revolution said.

It issued an updated list of names of 95 people it said were killed on Friday in massive protests which swept across Syria. And the death toll for Saturday has risen to 25 people killed by gunfire, it said.

Unilateral sanctions by Washington on Syrian officials wouldn’t have much direct impact on Assad’s inner circle, as most regime members have few holdings in the United States, the Journal said.

But countries in Europe, where the Assads are believed to have more substantial assets, will be pressured to follow Washington’s lead, according to the report.

The legal order is expected to be completed by the US Treasury Department in the coming weeks, the paper said.