ISTANBUL

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa met Friday with US Congressman Cory Mills at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Saturday.

The meeting included Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani and other senior officials, according to the report.

Mills, a Republican from Florida, was joined by Marlin Stutzman, a former Republican congressman for the state of Indiana. The unofficial visit was arranged by the US-based nonprofit Syrian-American Alliance for Peace and Prosperity.

The visit comes amid renewed foreign engagement with Syria following the fall of the Assad regime in December.

Arab and international politicians have been making regular visits to Damascus, aiming to open a new chapter with Syria’s leadership.

Despite the increased diplomatic outreach, the US State Department on Friday issued a new travel warning, urging American citizens to avoid Syria due to “potential imminent attacks.”

The warning was posted on the website of the US Embassy in Damascus, which has been closed since 2012. US interests in Syria are currently handled by the Czech Embassy.

Bashar al-Assad, who led Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long rule that began in 1963.

A transitional administration was announced on Jan. 29. It dissolved the constitution, security services, armed factions, parliament, and the Baath Party.