Chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, met Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday, state media reported, as last month's ouster of Bashar al-Assad sparks hopes for justice.

Vladimir Putin and Bashar al-Assad were allegedly communicating before rebels took over the Syrian government in December.

NATO needs a stronger focus on the south and Africa, Italy's prime minister told a news conference on Thursday, saying Russia might boost its presence in eastern Libya after the collapse of its allied regime in Syria.

STORY: Foreign ministers and top diplomats from Western and Middle Eastern countries met with Syria's new foreign minister on Sunday.Held in the Saudi capital Riyadh, it was the first such regional gathering on Syria since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted last month.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken agreed Thursday in talks in Rome with European counterparts on the need to encourage stability in Syria, officials said, as Turkey threatens Kurdish forces in the war-torn country.

ROME - Nato needs a stronger focus on the ... after the collapse of its allied regime in Syria. The ousting of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where the Kremlin operates an airbase and a naval facility ...