President Donald Trump met with the new Syrian leader, a onetime insurgent, in a stunning engagement on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia. Trump was to wrap up his visit to the kingdom later in the morning and head to Qatar, the second leg of his three-nation Middle East tour this week.
Trump said the rapprochement with Syria came at the urging of Saudi Crown Prince and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
鈥淭here is a new government that will hopefully succeed,鈥 Trump said of Syria, adding, 鈥淚 say good luck, Syria. Show us something special.鈥
On Tuesday, Trump received a lavish welcome in Riyadh, where he announced he would move to lift sanctions on Syria to give the country 鈥渁 chance at peace.鈥 He also focused on dealmaking with the kingdom, a key Mideast ally, and touched on shared concerns about and the .
Trump also as he pushes for a new nuclear deal and said he wanted to avoid conflict with Tehran. Trump and Prince Mohammed, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, signed a host of economic and bilateral agreements.
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France’s Macron says the Netanyahu government’s blockade of aid to Gaza is a 鈥榙isgrace鈥
French President Emmanuel Macron strongly denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 decision to block aid from entering Gaza as 鈥渁 disgrace鈥 that is causing a major humanitarian crisis.
鈥淚 say it forcefully, what Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 government is doing today is unacceptable,鈥 Macron said Tuesday evening on TF1 national television as he was asked about the situation in Gaza.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no medicine. We can鈥檛 get the wounded out. Doctors can鈥檛 get in,鈥 Macron said. 鈥淲hat he鈥檚 doing is a disgrace, it鈥檚 a disgrace!鈥
Macron, who visited injured Palestinians in El Arish hospital in Egypt last month, called on reopening the Gaza border to humanitarian convoys as a priority. 鈥淭hen, yes, we must fight to demilitarize Hamas, free the hostages and build a political solution,鈥 he said.
Netanyahu had asked Trump not to remove sanctions on Syria, Israeli official says
The Israeli prime minister made the request during his visit to Washington last month, according to the official. The official says the request was made out of concern that a cross-border attack similar to Hamas鈥 Oct. 7, 2023, assault, could come from Syria.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the request with the media.
Israel fears that the new Syrian president and his Islamist past could pose a threat on its northern border.
Trump on Tuesday said he would ease sanctions on Syria and move to restore ties with its new leader. The move is just the latest disagreement between the U.S. and Israeli leaders who have differed on how to approach Iran and the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, among other regional issues. Trump鈥檚 first term policies were overwhelmingly favorable to Israel.
鈥 By Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel;
Trump meets Syria’s new leader, once imprisoned by US troops in Iraq
The meeting between Trump and Syria鈥檚 interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa was the first such encounter between the two nations鈥 leaders in 25 years.
It took place on the sidelines of Trump sitting with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Reporters were not allowed in to witness the stunning engagement.
It was a major turn of events for a Syria still adjusting to life after the over 50-year, iron-gripped rule of the Assad family.
People across Syria cheered in the streets and shot off fireworks Tuesday night to celebrate after Trump announced he would move to lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, hopeful their nation locked out of credit cards and global finance might rejoin the world鈥檚 economy when they need investment the most.
Punishing Israeli strikes in northern Gaza kill 48, including at least 22 children
The strikes took place overnight on Tuesday and early Wednesday, the Indonesian Hospital in Jabaliya reported.
They came a day after Hamas released an Israeli-American hostage in a deal brokered by the United States, and as Trump was in Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that there was 鈥渘o way鈥 Israel would halt its war in Gaza, dimming hopes for a ceasefire spurred by the Trump administration’s efforts in the region.
Israeli military warns people in 3 ports in Yemen to evacuate
Israel’s military spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee has urged people to evacuate the ports of Ras Isa, Hodeida and Salif, where he says the Iran-backed Houthi rebels operate.
The warnings came as Trump continues his visit to the region and after the U.S. reached a ceasefire deal with the Houthis. The Israeli military made a similar warning for people to evacuate the ports on Sunday but did not follow that up with strikes.
Last week, Israel carried out a two-day strike on the Houthis, including the airport in Yemen鈥檚 capital, after the Houthis launched a missile that struck the grounds of Israel鈥檚 main international airport.
Syrians cheer Trump’s announcement on sanctions
Syrians cheered Trump’s announcement that America will move to lift sanctions on the beleaguered Middle East nation. People in the capital, Damascus, whistled and cheered the news as fireworks lit the night sky.
The state-run SANA news agency published video and photographs of Syrians cheering in Umayyad Square. Others honked their car horns or waved the new Syrian flag in celebration.
Trump鈥檚 planned meeting with the country鈥檚 rebel-turned-leader Ahmad al-Sharaa represents a remarkable political turnaround for Syria, which has been locked in a bitter war since the 2011 Arab Spring. In December, rebels led by al-Sharaa toppled Syrian autocrat Bashar Assad鈥檚 government.
Al-Sharaa, who was imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, will be the first Syrian leader to meet an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000.
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From a former insurgent who led Assad鈥檚 overthrow to a meeting with Trump
The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about the whereabouts of the insurgent then known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani. He had joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq.
Syria鈥檚 new president came back to his home country after the conflict began in 2011, and led al-Qaida鈥檚 branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front.
He later changed the name of his group and cut links with al-Qaida before they finally succeeded in overthrowing President Bashar Assad in December.
Syrian鈥檚 interim government hails US sanction decision
Syria鈥檚 Foreign Ministry on Tuesday night called Trump’s statement about the sanctions a pivotal turning point for the Syrian people as they “seek to emerge from a long and painful chapter of war.鈥
The statement also was careful to describe the sanctions as coming 鈥渋n response to the war crimes committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people,鈥 rather than the war-torn nation鈥檚 new interim government.
鈥淭he removal of these sanctions offers a vital opportunity for Syria to pursue stability, self-sufficiency and meaningful national reconstruction, led by and for the Syrian people,鈥 the statement added.
Yemen鈥檚 Houthi rebels likely fired another missile at Israel
The Israeli military issued a statement on Wednesday morning announcing the missile fire from Yemen after sirens sounded in the country.
鈥淎 missile launched from Yemen was intercepted,鈥 the Israeli military said. 鈥淪irens were sounded in accordance with protocol.鈥
The Houthis had launched another missile just after Trump addressed an investment summit in Riyadh on Tuesday. Trump had earlier announced a ceasefire between America and the rebel group.
The Houthis have been attacking Israel over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel鈥檚 decision to bar aid to the beleaguered Palestinian enclave. The Iranian-backed rebels also are locked in a stalemated war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the country鈥檚 long-exiled government.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack, though it can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge an assault.
New Zealand tells its travelers to the US to expect more 鈥榮crutiny鈥 at America’s border
The foreign ministry bolstered its travel cautions for New Zealanders visiting the United States, the first such update since Trump took office, officials said Wednesday. The travel advice hadn鈥檛 been fully updated since 2023, the statement said.
Language added to the guidance for U.S.-bound travelers included an alert that visitors 鈥渕ay encounter scrutiny from U.S. border authorities,鈥 including inspection of their travel documents, reason for travel and personal belongings.
It also warned travelers to 鈥渆xpect strict enforcement鈥 of entry conditions and caution of 鈥渄etention, deportation and ban from re-entry鈥 if travelers don鈥檛 comply.
