President Ahmed al-Shara of Syria will visit Washington this month for the first time since he came to power, another step in the transformation of the former rebel leader once wanted by the United States as a terrorist with a $10 million bounty on his head.

The U.S.'s special envoy for Syria has called Lebanon “a failed state,” highlighting frustration with Beirut’s “paralyzed government.”

The Caesar Act imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Syria targeting individuals, companies, and institutions linked to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A US State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration supports repealing the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria through the National Defense Authorization Act,

United States Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on Saturday that Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa was expected to visit Washington.

US journalist Austin Tice’s family is furious at CNN over a report strongly suggesting her son — who was taken captive by the Assad regime in Syria 13 years ago — is dead.