Syria's new leader meets Saudi crown prince

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday during his first trip abroad since taking power.

Accompanied by his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Sharaa was greeted by Saudi officials on arrival in Riyadh, images from state television outlet Al-Ekhbariya showed.

The official Saudi news agency SPA later reported that Sharaa was received by Prince Mohammed, but details of their discussions were not immediately disclosed.

Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, was named Syria's interim president on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman and his son Prince Mohammed were among the first to congratulate him on his official appointment.

The Syrian authorities are counting on wealthy Gulf countries to finance the reconstruction of their war-ravaged nation and revive its economy.