Syrian ministers visit Riyadh in first trip abroad after Assad’s fall

3/1/2025 7:24

Syria's foreign and defence ministers met with Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Thursday in a landmark first visit abroad by members of the new Syrian administration less than a month after it took power.



Salman said in a post on X that he had discussed with Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, how best to support Syria’s political transition.



The meeting also included Syria's intelligence chief.



Since ousting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) have sought to reassure Arab countries and the international community that they will govern on behalf of all Syrians and not export Islamist revolution.



HTS was al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate until it broke off ties in 2016.



Saudi Arabia backed the rebels who fought Assad at the onset of the Syrian civil war.