France and Germany's top diplomats met Syria's new ruler in Damascus on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers since the country's new Islamist authorities seized power last month.

AFPTV footage showed French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock sitting down at the presidential palace with leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham Ahmed al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani.