Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received a warm welcome at an Arab summit in Jeddah on Friday, in a policy shift opposed by the US and other Western powers.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shook hands with Assad, turning the page on enmity towards a leader who drew on support from Iran and Russia to beat back his foes in Syria’s civil war.
With many Arab states hoping Assad will now take steps to distance Syria from Iran, Assad said the country's "past, present, and future is Arabism", without mentioning Tehran.