Trump hosts Syrian leader al-Sharaa at White House

US President Donald Trump with President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May (Bandar Aljaloud/Saudi Royal Palace via AP)

US President Donald Trump is hosting Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the White House, welcoming the once-pariah state into a US-led global coalition to fight the so-called Islamic State (IS) group.

It is the first visit to the White House by a Syrian head of state since the Middle Eastern country gained independence from France in 1946, and comes after the US lifted sanctions imposed on Syria during the decades the country was ruled by the Assad family.