Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said discussions with a Qatari delegation in Damascus Thursday included reconstruction in the war-torn country, during the first visit by a head of state since Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

Turkey and Syria have agreed to reevaluate customs tariffs for certain products and they discussed economic and trade relations during meetings in Damascus, the Turkish trade ministry said on Friday.

No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than 3m Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return.

Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential power brokers in Syria after rebels toppled Bashar al-Assad last month, ending his family's brutal five-decade rule.

More than 50,000 Syrian refugees have left Turkey to return home since Bashar al-Assad's ouster. But for many others living in the country, the thought raises a host of worrying questions. In Altindag,

Syria 's de-facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa revealed on Thursday that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had congratulated him on his victory last month during a phone call following the collapse of former president Bashar al-Assad's government. This marks the first time Sharaa has acknowledged directly engaging with a head of state.

Commercial flights between Turkey and Syria have resumed after 13 years with a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Damascus.

The rebel chief who led the overthrow of the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad has been declared the head of government for a transitional period.

It already appears evident that the days of Russia serving as its leading arms supplier have come to an ignominious end.

Russia’s deputy foreign minister and a special envoy arrived in Damascus. Theirs was the first such visit since President Bashar al-Assad fled the country, according to Russian state news.

Turkey's allied forces have captured an entire underground 'city' in Manbij, previously controlled by Kurdish paramilitaries. Clashes near the Euphrates River threaten to cause a catastrophe at the Tishrin Dam.