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 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.

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. Sharaa assumed power as transitional president last week,