In a landmark visit to Damascus, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday appealed to the international community to support the people of Syria.
It is the first by a UN chief to the Syrian capital since 2009 and comes as the country is trying to recover from a more than decade-long conflict.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians were killed and millions displaced in the civil war that ended when rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad in 2024.
They were led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was appointed interim president in January 2025 to oversee state reconstruction and the dissolution of separate armed factions.
Guterres, who held talks with al-Sharaa shortly after his arrival, said the country was at a “pivotal moment” as it tries to return to stability.
