The leader of Syria’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that headed a lightning rebel offensive snatching Damascus from government control, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, addresses a crowd at the capital’s landmark Umayyad Mosque on December 8, 2024.
Abdulaziz Ketaz | Afp | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia before heading to Qatar on Wednesday, the White House said, one day after Washington announced the lifting of U.S. sanctions on the war-ravaged country.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman oversaw the meeting, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joined by phone.
“President Trump thanked President Erdogan and…