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.

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.

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first international visit since the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, state media reported.

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.

Arab leaders have warmly welcomed Ahmed al-Sharaa as Syria's interim president, with close allies of his deposed predecessor remaining noncommittal.

Syria 's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has set off on his first foreign trip since taking office, and he has chosen Saudi Arabia as his destination. The trip is viewed as a strategic move indicating Syria's pivot away from Iran as its main regional ally.

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.