Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met Syria's new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus Friday, state media said, in the latest such visit from a European diplomat since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa told visiting Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Friday that he was ready to stem "illegal immigration" to Europe, the European diplomat said.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani is travelling to Syria on Friday to encourage the country’s transition following the ouster of President Bashar Assad by Islamist insurgents, and said Europe should review its sanctions on Damascus now that the political situation has changed.

Italy's foreign minister has arrived in Damascus for talks with de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa following a series of visits by EU officials

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria's de facto leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, right, meets with Italian foreign minister Antonio

ROME—US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed in talks in Rome with European counterparts on the need to encourage stability in Syria, officials

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visits Syria to support its transition post-Assad and urges the EU to reconsider sanctions amid changing political dynamics.

Italy said it is prepared to make proposals on private investments in health care for Syrians, and is seeking to coordinate several post-Assad initiatives.

The Vatican has approved new guidelines from Italian bishops that allow gay men to enter seminaries as long as they abstain from sex, in an unexpected adjustment to how the global Catholic Church considers possible future priests.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has held talks with Syria’s new rulers and called for talks on easing European Union sanctions imposed on the previous government of Bashar al-Assad. Tajani met Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Friday,

Israel’s army confirmed Friday that one of the bodies recovered from Gaza earlier this week was that of 23-year-old hostage Hamzah AlZayadni.