Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Damascus on Thursday and met newly declared transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in the first visit by a head of state to the Syrian capital since Bashar al-Assad was toppled on Dec.

In her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard was pressed on her relationship with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and walked back previous statements criticizing Trump's policy choices.

Critics blasted the meeting as legitimizing Assad four years after he used lethal chemical weapons on Syrian civilians. "It was common knowledge that Assad was gassing the civilian population,

Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s pick as director of national intelligence, testified at a confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

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.

MOSCOW (Reuters) -A Russian delegation has arrived in Damascus for the first time since Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Russia's TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, as Russia tries to secure the future of its military bases in Syria.

Russia deployed troops to Syria in 2015 to support Assad regime's brutal crackdown against anti-government forces.