Syria’s newly appointed interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first foreign trip since his rebel coalition ousted the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, saying his country seeks a real partnership with the Gulf kingdom.

Syria’s interim president has made his first trip abroad, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’ shift away from Iran as its main regional ally.

Julani was born in Saudi Arabia, later lived in Damascus, and joined al-Qaeda before becoming the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria.

Sharaa, met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday in his first foreign trip as Syrian leader, in a sign of the major shifts under way in regional alliances.

Saudi Arabia is pushing world governments to lift international sanctions on Damascus as it looks to shape the future of a country once firmly under Tehran’s influence.

By bnm Gulf bureau Syria’s recently introduced Interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, arrived in Riyadh on February 2 for his first official visit, official Syrian media reported. Al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia holds significant regional implications.

Sharaa assumed power as transitional president last week, after leading a rebel campaign that ousted longtime Iran-backed leader Bashar al-Assad, whose ties with the rest of the Arab world were strained throughout the nearly 14-year Syrian war.

Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa will visit Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported on Saturday, citing sources. It will be Sharaa's first official visit abroad since he assumed power after leading a rebel campaign that ousted Bashar al-Assad in December.

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday as he embarked on his first foreign trip since taking power after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Syria’s interim president made his first trip abroad on Sunday and arrived in Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’ shift away from Iran as its main regional ally. Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh as Syrian leader.