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.

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa landed in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first foreign trip since taking power amid warming ties between his administration and the oil-rich kingdom. Later Sunday,

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.