The Biden administration plans to announce Monday that it will ease restrictions on humanitarian aid for Syria, speeding delivery of basic supplies without lifting sanctions that restrict other assistance to the new government in Damascus,

All Syrian groups, including women and Kurds, must be involved in the country's transition if Damascus wants European support, Germany's foreign minister said after a closely-watched first meeting with the new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday.

While relative peace and stability have followed the Assad regime’s collapse, the proposed educational changes have stoked worries about the country’s new Islamist leadership.

An Israeli airstrike in the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday killed 11 people, according to a war monitor, as Israel continues to target Syrian weapons and military infrastructure even after the ouster of Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

People set aside divisions and anxiety about the future to mark a once-in-a-lifetime moment of renewal.

The visit by European ministers symbolizes a significant shift in international diplomacy following years of strained relations between Europe and Syria.

The French and German foreign ministers are the most senior Western officials to visit Syria since longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebels.

Syria’s new foreign minister has met with his Qatari counterpart and Qatar’s prime minister in Doha on Sunday.

"Our problem is not with Israel. We don't want to meddle in anything that will threaten Israel's security," Damascus Governor Maher Marwan tells NPR. Syria and Israel have never had diplomatic ties.

Germany’s foreign minister has warned Syria’s new leaders that lifting sanctions imposed on the country will depend on them not establishing a new Islamist government.

The foreign ministers of Germany and France will meet Syria's de facto new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa during a trip to the country on Friday on behalf of the European Union, the German and French foreign ministries said.