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.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country's de facto ruler, in Riyadh on Monday as he embarked on a three-day visit to the Middle East.

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.