Syria's Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Monday it would take between four and five years to hold presidential elections, the first time he has laid out a timeline for the vote since he was named transitional president last week.

Sharaa, the leader of the main rebel group who led the overthrow of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, has been named Syria's transitional president, the country's military command announced on Jan. 29.

I n his first interview since assuming the Syrian presidency on January 29th, Ahmed al-Sharaa sat down with The Economist and laid out his vision for rebuilding Syria’s smashed, fractured and bankrupt state.

By bnm Gulf bureau Syria’s recently introduced Interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, arrived in Riyadh on February 2 for his first official visit, official Syrian media reported. Al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia holds significant regional implications.