Rubio meets Syria's leader in New York as the country's isolation eases further

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa met Monday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York, expanding his country's relations with the West and further easing its isolation as he becomes Syria's first leader to take part in a high-level annual U.N. meeting in nearly 60 years. The last time a Syrian head of state attended the U.N. General Assembly meeting of world leaders was in 1967 — before the 50-year rule of the Assad family dynasty. A lightning insurgent offensive led by al-Sharaa ousted Bashar Assad in December and brought nearly 14 years of civil war to an end.