Syria's de facto leader and Lebanon's new president congratulated President Donald Trump on Monday and expressed hope for closer ties with the United States.
"The past decade has brought great suffering to Syria, as the conflict has devastated our country and destabilized the region. We are confident that [Trump] is the leader who can bring peace to the Middle East and restore stability to the region," Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a statement on behalf of the new Syrian administration.
"We look forward to improving relations between our two countries based on dialogue and mutual understanding," the statement said.
The new president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, also congratulated Trump, expressing hope that Trump's presence in the White House will boost bilateral relations.
