Jamil Hassan, referred to as "the butcher" by people who lived on his street, is among the senior regime figures who have fled with their families.

Many Syrians who have been living abroad, some for decades, are returning home after the fall of the Assad regime. But there remain mixed feelings of hope and trepidation for some. Imtiaz Tyab reports.

Top U.S. diplomats were expected to hold Washington's first in-person official meetings with Syria's new de facto rulers led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Damascus on Friday, hoping to gauge how the former al Qaeda affiliate plans to run the country.

Washington is scrapping a long-standing reward for the arrest of Syria's new leader, a senior U.S. diplomat said Friday, following "positive messages" from a first meeting that included a promise to fight terrorism.

STORY: Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani – in Damascus on Sunday, Turkey’s foreign ministry said.Sharaa is the leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham,