Bashar al-Assad met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, in Dubai, according to Assad regime sources, in his first visit to an Arab country since the Syrian Civil War began in 2011.
On Friday, state news agencies in the United Arab Emirates and from within the Assad regime reported that al-Assad had met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The meeting took place only days after the 11th anniversary of the start of the Syrian revolution, during which the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unforeseen ferocity.
