• First Syrian presidential US visit since 1946.
• Trump–Sharaa White House meeting set for Monday.
• US hopes Syria joins coalition against Daesh.

WASHINGTON: Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the United States on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist.

Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday.

It’s the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts.

The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May.

US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said earlier this month that Sharaa would “hopefully” sign an agreement to join the international US-led alliance against Daesh.

The United States plans to establish a military base near Damascus “to coordinate humanitarian aid and observe developments between Syria and Israel”, a diplomatic source in Syria told AFP.

The State Department’s decision Friday to remove Sharaa from the blacklist was widely expected.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said Sharaa’s government had been meeting US demands, including on working to find missing Americans and on eliminating any remaining chemical weapons.

“These actions are being taken in recognition of the progress demonstrated by the Syrian leadership after the departure of Bashar al-Assad and more than 50 years of repression under the Assad regime,” Pigott said.

The spokesman added that the US delisting would promote “regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process.”

Transformation

Sharaa’s Washington trip comes after his landmark visit to the United Nations in September — his first time on US soil — where he became the first Syrian president in decades to address the UN General Assembly in New York.

On Thursday, Washington led a vote by the Security Council to remove UN sanctions against him.

Formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was delisted as a terrorist group by Washington as recently as July.

Since taking power, Syria’s new leaders have sought to break from their violent past and present a moderate image more tolerable to ordinary Syrians and foreign powers.

The White House visit “is further testament to the US commitment to the new Syria and a hugely symbolic moment for the country’s new leader, who thus marks another step in his astonishing transformation from militant leader to global statesman,” International Crisis Group US program director Michael Hanna said.

Sharaa is expected to seek funds for Syria, which faces significant challenges in rebuilding after 13 years of brutal civil war.

In October, the World Bank put a “conservative best estimate” of the cost of rebuilding Syria at $216 billion.

Russia carried out one of its largest overnight attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, killing at least six people and leaving vast areas without electricity, water, and heating.

According to reports, the strikes targeted both residential and industrial areas, hitting 25 sites across Kyiv and other cities.

Ukrainian authorities said Moscow deployed over 450 drones and 45 missiles in the assault. Several major power facilities were damaged, causing emergency blackouts in multiple regions.

Energy company DTEK confirmed that electricity was cut to parts of Kyiv and the northern city of Kharkiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that in Dnipro, a Russian drone hit a residential building, killing three people, while one person died in Kharkiv.

“Russian strikes once again targeted civilian life,” said Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga. “Communities were left without power, water, and heating. Critical infrastructure and railway networks were damaged.”

In Kharkiv, the mayor reported severe electricity shortages, while local authorities said water supplies were also disrupted.

Kremenchuk, in the Poltava region, experienced interruptions to electricity, water, and partial heating following the attacks.

Restoration Minister Oleksiy Kuleba said train services nationwide were disrupted due to damage at locomotive depots.

“We are working to eliminate the consequences across the country, focusing on restoring heat, electricity, and water as quickly as possible,” stated Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.

State-owned energy company Naftogaz said this assault marks the ninth major attack on gas infrastructure since early October.

Experts warned that sustained strikes could lead to heating shortages as winter approaches.

The Kyiv School of Economics estimated that half of Ukraine’s natural gas production has already been shut down.

Energy analyst Oleksandr Kharchenko warned that if Kyiv’s two main power and heating plants remain offline for more than three days in temperatures below minus ten degrees Celsius, the capital could face a “technological disaster.”

Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed responsibility, stating that its forces targeted “enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and gas and energy facilities that support their operation.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine has intensified its own drone strikes on Russian oil depots and refineries in recent months in an effort to cut off Moscow’s vital energy exports.

On Friday evening, drone attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia’s southern Volgograd region caused temporary power outages there, according to regional governor Andrei Botcharov.

• Air traffic control staffing issues delay flights in 12 major US cities.
• FAA imposes ground delay plans, Atlanta flights delayed 337 mins.
• Transportation Secretary Duffy warns of potential 20% air traffic cuts.

US airlines cancelled 1,330 flights on Day 2 of government-mandated flight cuts across the country on Saturday, and the industry braced for more cancellations as the federal shutdown continues.

The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting on Friday at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. The shutdown has led to shortages of air traffic controllers because they have not been paid for weeks.

Reductions in flights will rise to 6% on Tuesday before hitting 10% by November 14.

25 airports face flight jam

The FAA on Saturday reported air traffic control staffing issues at 25 airports and other centres, delaying flights in at least 12 major US cities, including Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

The FAA imposed ground delay programs at several airports on Saturday, with delays averaging 337 minutes for flights at Atlanta, one of the busiest US airports.

Some 5,450 flights were delayed on Saturday after 7,000 were delayed and 1,025 were cancelled on Friday.

The cuts, which began at 6am ET (1100 GMT) on Friday, include about 700 flights from the four largest carriers: American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

Those airlines cancelled about the same number of flights on Saturday.

Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20% to 40% of controllers have not been showing up for work over the past several days.

During a US Senate debate on Friday, Senator Ted Cruz blamed the shutdown for air traffic control concerns. Cruz, a Texas Republican who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, said he has been told that since the shutdown started, pilots have filed more than 500 voluntary safety reports about mistakes made by air traffic controllers because of fatigue.

During the record 39-day government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners were forced to work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism.

Many air traffic controllers were notified on Thursday that they would receive no compensation for a second consecutive pay period next week.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it was possible he could require 20% cuts in air traffic if more controllers stop showing up for work. “I assess the data,” Duffy said. “We’re going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace.”

The Trump administration has cited air traffic control problems as Republicans try to pressure Senate Democrats to back what they call a “clean” government funding bill with no strings attached. 

Democrats blame the shutdown on a Republican refusal to negotiate over health insurance subsidies that will expire at the end of this year.