The visit by Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to the Gulf Arab state could signal his government's strategy of moving away from Iranian influence. Ousted leader Bashar Assad was backed by Tehran.

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 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.