Briefly

SYRIA

Iran's Raisi meets Assad in Damascus

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi met his Syrian counterpart in Damascus on Wednesday, official media said, on the first visit by a head of state of the Islamic republic since Syria's civil war broke out 12 years ago. The two-day visit comes just weeks after Iran's landmark, Chinese-brokered agreement to restore ties with regional rival Saudi Arabia, which has sparked a flurry of diplomacy in the Middle East. Bashar al-Assad welcomed close ally Raisi at the presidential palace, SANA news agency said. "During this trip, we will hold consultations to strengthen and improve economic, political and security relations," Raisi said before departing Teheran, adding that ties between Syria and Iran were "completely strategic". The Syrian presidency said a number of agreements would be signed between the two countries, which remain under heavy Western sanctions.

UNITED STATES

Texas mass shooting suspect arrested

Francisco Oropesa, accused of massacring five neighbors after they asked him to stop firing his rifle in his yard, was captured on Tuesday after a dayslong manhunt, Texas law enforcement said. The 38-year-old Mexican had eluded authorities since the shooting on Friday in the small town of Cleveland in southeastern Texas. "We now have this man in custody," San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday night. "He was caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry." The suspect is accused of attacking his neighbors after they allegedly asked him to stop shooting his semi-automatic AR-15 rifle because the noise was keeping a baby awake. The victims were between the ages of 9 and 31, with several other residents in critical condition after multiple gunshot wounds.

Agencies via Xinhua