Syria's de facto ruler reassures minorities, meets Lebanese Druze leader

Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt shakes hands with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

(Reuters) - Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt on Sunday in another effort to reassure minorities they will be protected after Islamist rebels led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago.

Sharaa said no sects would be excluded in Syria in what he described as "a new era far removed from sectarianism".