The Saudi response was swift — reiterating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s demands for an independent Palestinian state as part of any normalization agreement and rejecting the “infringement on the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” or “attempts to displace” them from their land.

Syria's new leader Ahmad Al Shara discussed ways to rebuild his country's war-damaged economy in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday. This was Mr Al Shara's first trip abroad since supporters declared the former rebel leader Syria's President last week.

Sharaa, met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday in his first foreign trip as Syrian leader, in a sign of the major shifts under way in regional alliances.