Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will not attend the Arab League Summit in Baghdad this weekend, Syrian state media said on Monday, after Iraq's invitation spurred controversy over the rebel-turned-leader's potential return to a country where he fought and was jailed.

“There are indirect talks with Israel through mediators to calm and attempt to absorb the situation so that it does not reach a level that both sides lose control over,” al-Sharaa said, reiterating blame on Israel over what he described as its “random interventions” in Syria.

A ci gaba da ziyarar aikin da yake a yankin Golfe, Shugaban Amurka Donald Trump zai gana da takwaransa na Siriya Ahmed al-Sharaa a Saudiyya

El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, se reunirá brevemente con el nuevo líder de Siria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, en Arabia Saudita el miércoles, según un funcionario de la Casa Blanca.

Bahrain is important because it is a close ally of the West, hosts a US naval base, and is also part of the Abraham Accords.