Julani was born in Saudi Arabia, later lived in Damascus, and joined Al Qaeda before becoming the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria.

Syria’s interim president has made his first trip abroad, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’ shift away from Iran as its main regional ally.

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.