New Syrian leader hails country’s ‘return’ in first UN speech since Assad’s fall

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa addressed the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, the first Syrian leader to do so in nearly six decades, declaring the country’s return to the international community after the Assad regime’s fall last December. Al-Sharaa, who led the insurgent offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad, said Syria was reclaiming its “rightful place” after decades of dictatorship.