Saudi foreign minister visits Assad, further easing Syria's isolation

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad meets with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Damascus, Syria, in this handout released by SANA on April 18, 2023. SANA/Handout via REUTERS

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus on Tuesday in the most significant step yet towards ending Syria's decade-long regional isolation, and at a time of wider rapprochement in the region.

It was the first visit of a top diplomat from Arab powerhouse Saudi Arabia to Damascus since ties were ruptured following Assad's deadly crackdown on protesters in 2011 - violence that escalated into a decade-long civil war.