Syria's interim president visits Saudi Arabia on first trip abroad, likely a signal to Iran

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — 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, landed in Riyadh alongside his government's foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani. The two men traveled on a Saudi jet, with a Saudi flag visible on the table behind them.

Saudi state television trumpeted the fact that al-Sharaa, first known internationally by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made Riyadh his first destination.

Syria's new three-star, tricolor flag flew next to Saudi Arabia's own at the airport as al-Sharaa in a suit and tie walked off the plane. He later met with a smiling Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, at al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency described their discussions as examining ways to “support the security and stability of sisterly Syria.” Syria's state-run SANA news agency quoted al-Sharaa as saying they “worked on raising the level of communication and cooperation in all areas, especially those humanitarian and economic.”

Saudi Arabia had been among the Arab nations that poured money into insurgent groups that tried to topple President Bashar Assad after Syria's 2011 Arab Spring protests turned into a bloody crackdown. However, its groups found themselves beaten back as Assad, supported by Iran and Russia, fought the war into a stalemate in Syria.

That changed with the December lightning offensive led by al-Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group was once affiliated with al-Qaida but has since denounced its former ties.

Al-Sharaa and HTS have carefully managed their public image in the time since, with the interim president favoring an olive-colored military look similar to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appointing women to roles and trying to maintain ties to Syria's Christian and Shiite Alawite populations.

That also includes keeping both Iran and Russia largely at arms' length as well. Iran has yet to reopen its embassy in Damascus, which had been a key node in running operations through its self-described “Axis of Resistance,” including Assad's Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah militia and other partners. Iranian state media noted the trip to Saudi Arabia, a longtime regional rival with which it struck a Chinese-mediated détente in 2023, without acknowledging its own challenges in Syria.

Russia, meanwhile, would like to maintain access to air and sea bases it has in Syria, but took in Assad when he fled Syria during the advance.

Those moves appear aimed at reassuring the West and trying to get crippling sanctions lifted on Syria. Rebuilding the country after over a decade of war will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, not to mention the cost of covering the needs of Syria's people, millions of whom remain impoverished.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan visited Damascus in January and said Riyadh has been “actively engaging in dialogue” to lift sanctions on Syria. Saudi Arabia, unlike Al-Sharaa’s key allies in Turkey and Qatar, restored ties with Assad in 2023 alongside most of the Arab world. Getting sanctions lifted could go a long way in cementing their relationship.

Before al-Sharaa's trip, he hosted Qatar's ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in Damascus as his first foreign head of state.

Meanwhile, Syria's interim government still faces challenges from the Islamic State group and other militants in the country. On Saturday, a car bomb exploded in Manbij, a city in Syria's Aleppo governorate, killing four civilians and wounding nine, SANA reported, citing civil defense officials.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels had seized Manbij in December, part of a push by Ankara to secure Syrian territory close to its border for a buffer zone.

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Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report.