Syria Prez visits Iran for meetings in rare trip

TEHRAN: Syrian President Bashar Assad on Sunday was in Tehran meeting Iranian leaders, Iranian state-linked media reported, marking his second trip to Tehran since Syria's civil war erupted in 2011. Nour News, close to Iran's security apparatus, said in the Sunday report that Assad met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi earlier in the day. It said Assad later left Tehran for Damascus, Syria. It said details of the meetings will be published later. This is the first visit by Assad in more than two years. His earlier visit was in February 2019. Iran is a key regional supporter of Assad in the the Arab nation civil war that erupted in 2011.