President Trump’s conversation with President Ahmed al-Shara, who once led a branch of Al Qaeda, was the first time in 25 years that the leaders of the United States and Syria had met.

Moscow thinks it’s winning in Ukraine and can play hardball diplomatically. Washington sees costly, incremental gains and an unrealistic negotiating position.

The emirate, once called “a funder of terrorism” by President Trump, has spent lavishly on overhauling its global reputation.

Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A military spokesman had warned of an impending attack in northern Gaza.

President Trump’s meeting with President Ahmed al-Shara capped a remarkable turnabout for the leader of the rebel uprising that ousted Bashar al-Assad. Mr. Trump has said he would lift U.S. sanctions on Syria.

Israel tried to kill Muhammad Sinwar, a key Hamas leader in Gaza. If confirmed, it would deprive the group of another top commander, but it is unclear if it would lead to a strategic shift.

Grigory Melkonyants was convicted on charges of working with an “undesirable organization” in relation to his watchdog’s past affiliation with a European election monitoring group.

The case revolved around whether texts between a top official and a drug company executive counted as a public record that might need to be disclosed.

Beijing is trying to win over other countries with vows of economic cooperation. But it won’t back down from its territorial claims, experts predict.

The wealthy and the powerful gathered in Saudi Arabia with the goal of becoming even more so. “They’re going to walk away with a lot of checks,” President Trump said.