Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister on Friday made his first visit to Syria since the fall of former president Bashar Al Assad and held talks with the country's new leader, Ahmad Al Shara.Prince Faisal bin Farhan's visit to Damascus comes as the Syrian transitional government seeks investments to help rebuild the country after 14 years of civil war.Prince Faisal called for lifting sanctions on Damascus after talks on Syria with top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe earlier this month.Mr Al Shara said Riyadh “will certainly have a large role in Syria's future”, pointing to “a big investment opportunity for all neighbouring countries”.Prince Faisal arrived in Damascus after meetings with Lebanon's leaders in Beirut on Thursday.Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister was last in Syria in April 2023, when he met Mr Al Assad on a landmark visit that ended more than a decade of strained relations between the two countries.Saudi Arabia and other countries severed ties with Syria in 2012 over Mr Al Assad's violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests that sparked civil war.The Assad family's five decades of rule over Syria ended in dramatic fashion last month as rebel factions led by Mr Al Shara's group, Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, seized Damascus in a lightning offensive.The rebel victory came after Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, Mr Al Assad's main backers, were significantly weakened by Israeli attacks.Riyadh significantly reduced its footprint in Lebanon amid the growing strength of Hezbollah.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday from Damascus that his country was engaged in an active dialogue with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria.

Saudi Arabia sent a new aid plane to Syria on Saturday as part of the kingdom’s relief bridge to the country following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Syrian state news agency SANA said a plane loaded with 30 tons of relief materials arrived at Damascus International Airport.

Saudi Arabia is taking part in talks with Western powers to help remove sanctions against Syria, the kingdom's Foreign Minister said on Friday as he made his first visit to Damascus since the fall of former president Bashar Al Assad.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud will visit Damascus on Friday and meet with top officials in the new Syrian administration, a Syrian official said on Thursday.