Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Thursday his country is ready to welcome UN forces into the UN established buffer zone with Israel. "Israel's advance in the region was due to the presence of Iranian militias and Hezbollah.

In joint press conference with Qatari PM, Ahmed Al-Sharaa says Damascus will welcome presence of UN peacekeepers in demilitarized area between countries

Syria's new ruler and Lebanon's prime minister pledged on Saturday to build lasting ties during the first visit by a Lebanese head of government to Damascus since the civil war started in 2011.Prime Minister Najib Mikati's trip came after Islamist-led rebels seized Damascus last month,

The call, combined with various promises of economic and constitutional support to the Islamist regime led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a former al-Qaida affiliate, demonstrates how the imperialist powers intend to use Syria’s regime change to step up their war on Russia and prepare an all-out conflict with Iran.

The Lebanese parliament finally voted on a new president on Thursday following two years of deadlock. Joseph Aoun the head of the country's armed forces won a majority of the votes.

For weeks, Iranian officials have downplayed the fall of their ally in Syria. But an important general has offered a remarkably candid view of the blow to Iran, and its military’s prospects.

A new type of Syrian refugee is fleeing across the border into Lebanon: those who once supported dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Damascus on Saturday in a bid to improve long-fraught ties, with the pair focusing on strengthening their shared border.

Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, will make his first official visit to Turkey on Wednesday as the transition government in Damascus continues its regional outreach following the toppling of the Assad regime in December.

In Lebanon, many saw the election on Thursday of Gen. Joseph Aoun, the commander of the Lebanese military, as a crucial step toward bringing stability to the country. It was also seen as a concession by Hezbollah and, some analysts said, an acknowledgment that the group was no longer in a position to paralyze the state.

Hezbollah has threatened to resume fighting if Israel does not fully withdraw its forces by the 60-day deadline.

Najib Mikati’s visit, the first in 15 years, comes amid pressure in Lebanon to release Islamists imprisoned during the civil war and just after the election of President Joseph Aoun.