A House subcommittee announced a hearing next week to explore alleged war crimes in Syria.

The hearing, which will be held on April 18, is set to evaluate United States policy toward Syria and comes as Syrian President Bashar Assad has made overtures to his disgruntled neighbors in an attempt to reassert his footing on the world stage.

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"The Subcommittee on Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia will convene a hearing entitled, '12 Years of Terror: Assad’s War Crimes and U.S. Policy for Seeking Accountability in Syria,'" the House Foreign Affairs Committee announced.

Witnesses for the hearing include a former Syrian official known as "the Grave Digger," Joel Rayburn, former special envoy to Syria, and Jonathan Lord, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security.

Recently, the United Arab Emirates moved to normalize relations with Syria, which came as tensions eased between Saudi Arabia and Iran as well.

Assad has ruled over Syria for over two decades. Back in 2011, multiple teenagers were arrested for spray-painting anti-government graffiti on a high school wall. Outrage over their confinement erupted into mass demonstrations, which transformed the incident into a long-lasting civil war.

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Numerous actors, including the Islamic State, groups affiliated with al Qaeda, and Kurdish groups, battled Assad. The U.S. backed some of the rebels and accused Assad of carrying out chemical weapons attacks against his people — allegations he denies.

The bitter war triggered one of the largest refugee crises in Europe over recent decades. Assad was backed by Russia, which is now entangled on the battlefield against Ukraine.