Syrian rebel leader asks Britain to lift sanctions and restore ties.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, traded his usual military attire for a dark-gray business suit for the meeting, according to photos released by HTS.

The meeting comes days after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration was in direct contact with HTS, which remains on the State Department’s terrorist list and has historical ties to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. The designation entails sanctions, such as restrictions against receiving any “material support or resources” from U.S. entities.

HTS has sought to rebrand itself as an Islamist movement with a focus on local issues, rather than transnational jihad, and emphasized this during the recent offensive, such as through posts meant to reassure Syrian religious minorities.

Assad, who fled to Moscow after the rebel coalition led by HTS closed in, claimed he had intended to stay in his country to fight a “terrorist onslaught,” according to a statement issued Monday on his Telegram account.

He said he left Syria for Russia from the Hmeimim air base only after it came under a drone attack that same day. The Washington Post could not verify the claims, which were also reported by Russian state media.

Here’s what else to know

• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said his country seeks to “maintain full security control over Gaza, with complete freedom of action,” in a social media post laying out his views of a postwar Gaza.
• U.S. Central Command forces struck a Houthi facility in Yemen on Monday, Centcom said on social media, describing the target as “a hub for coordinating Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels.”
• Nearly 1 million people in Gaza will face winter without proper shelter, the Norwegian Refugee Council said, as shipments of material such as tents are decreasing while food supplies are prioritized.
• More than 45,000 people have been killed in Israel’s war in Gaza, the enclave’s Health Ministry said Monday. Over 106,000 people have been injured. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
• Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, including more than 300 soldiers. It says 384 soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza.