Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said his country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or to the West.

Speaking to the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen in Damascus, Sharaa said sanctions on Syria should be lifted and that his group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), should be de-listed as a terrorist organisation.

Sharaa led HTS and other rebel groups in the offensive that toppled former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime less than two weeks ago.

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