The U.S. needs to keep troops deployed in Syria to prevent the Islamic State group from reconstituting as a major threat following the ouster of Bashar Assad's government, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told The Associated Press.

Some refugees may return to Syria because they want to live there again. But many won’t—for the same reasons many refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe didn’t after World War II.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (Social Democrat, SPD) threatened thousands of Syrians living in Germany with deportation. On Sunday, Faeser told the Funke media group that Syrians who had fled to Germany but did not yet have a permanent job or training and “did not voluntarily return to Syria” would now face deportation.

Berlin on Monday advocated a pragmatic approach to Syria's transitional government after the new leader in Damascus declined to shake the hand of visiting German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

All Syrian groups, including women and Kurds, must be involved in the country's transition if Damascus wants European support, Germany's foreign minister said after a closely-watched first meeting with the new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday.

The German and French foreign ministers are heading to Damascus to send what the German minister said is a clear signal that a “political new beginning” between Europe and Syria is possible

The foreign ministers from Germany and France arrived in Damascus on Friday morning for talks with the transitional government formed by the militant groups that drove former Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad from the country.

Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Germany Andrii Sybiha and Annalena Bearbock discussed the results of their visits to Syria and coordinated steps to further support the Syrian people. — Ukrinform.

So far, Shar’a has talked about pluralism and his wish for inclusivity, but his hands-off diplomacy with Baerbock has raised eyebrows — if nothing else, for raising questions about how women are likely to be treated in post-Assad Syria.

Germany is taking a leading role in discussions within the European Union (EU) about relaxing the sanctions placed on Syria. These sanctions were originally imposed after the violent crackdown on protests by the Syrian government in 2011.

Speaking to France Inter radio, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the EU could take a similar decision soon without giving precise timing, while adding that lifting more political sanctions would depend on how Syria's new leadership handled the transition and ensured exclusivity.