French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Sunday said he would have preferred if Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa had shaken the hand of his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on their visit to Syria last week,

Jean-Noel Barrot, Annalena Baerbock in Damascus on behalf of EU, according to bloc's foreign policy chief - Anadolu Ajansı

Sharaa, the leader of Syria's interim administration, held a meeting with members of the Christian clergy in the country's

Lebanon expressed a desire to establish strong neighborly relations with Syria, relayed by Foreign Minister Bou Habib to his Syrian counterpart. The redeployment of Hezbollah fighters weakened Syrian government lines.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says elections in the country could take up to four years, citing a need to rewrite the constitution.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said she prioritized women’s rights while meeting Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Damascus on Jan. 3.