Guterres arrives in Syria for first UN secretary-general visit since before civil war

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Syria on Saturday on the first visit by a head of the global body since before the country's civil war broke out, state media reported. During the three-day visit, Guterres is set to reaffirm support for Syria's transition, more than a year and a half after the new authorities led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad after more than 13 years of war. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received Guterres "and his accompanying delegation at Damascus international airport", state news agency SANA reported. Read moreHow top Syrian diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani’s road to Damascus is shaking the Mideast He is the first UN chief to visit Syria since Ban Ki-moon in 2009, two years before the start of Syria's civil war that went on to kill more than half a million people before Assad's overthrow in December 2024. Sharaa, who broke ties with al Qaeda in 2016, led an alliance of Islamist rebel factions that ousted Assad ​in a lightning offensive in December 2024. Since Sharaa took power, the international community has urged the new Islamist authorities to build strong and effective institutions and estab...