A Trump Tower in Damascus, a detente with Israel and U.S. access to Syria's oil and gas are part of Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa's strategic pitch to try to get face time with U.S. President Donald Trump during his trip to the Middle East,

A short statement released by the office of President Ahmad al-Sharaa did not give a reason why he will not attend the summit but an invitation by the Iraqi government last month trigged sharp political divisions in Iraq. The summit is scheduled to be held in Baghdad on Saturday.

A former al-Qaeda member, Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is seeking to rework his approach to the West after embarking on a mission to actively woo the US, in a bid to rebuild the country, which has been under sanctions for over a decade.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani said on Tuesday the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to lift sanctions on Damascus marked a "new start" in his country's reconstruction path, according to a post on X.

President Donald Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia for the first stop of his multi-nation trip, as Syria’s new leadership signals interest in talks to restore relations between the two countries.

Israel has used attacks on religious minority by forces loyal to Syria's new government to justify strikes across the border

The remains of 30 people believed to have been killed by the militant Islamic State group have been found in a remote Syrian town in a search led by Qatari search teams along with the FBI