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.

Syria's interim president made his first trip abroad Sunday, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus' shift away from Iran as its main regional ally. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida,

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday in his first overseas trip as transitional leader of the war-torn country. Sharaa assumed power as transitional president last week, more than a month after former regime leader Bashar al-Assad was toppled.