By Clotaire Achi and John Irish DAMASCUS, July 6 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Syria on Monday, in the first visit to Damascus by a European Union head of state since rebels led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus marks a shift in Western engagement with Syria's new leadership, with reconstruction, security and diplomatic ties at the centre of talks.

French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in Syria, becoming the first major western leader to visit since Bashar al-Assad's ouster in 2024.

An Austrian court on Monday convicted two officials under Syrian former dictator Bashar al-Assad for torturing opponents of his regime.

Two former senior Syrian regime's security officials were convicted by a Vienna court of torture, aggravated assault, coercion and related crimes against 21 civilians during Bashar al Assad's rule; the verdicts are not yet final.

Bashar al-Assad was the 19th president of Syria, entering office in 2000 succeeding his father Hafez al-Assad as the country's leader and as head of the Ba'ath Party. He was ousted in December 2024 by the Islamist rebel group Hay'at Tahir al-Sham (HTS) and has fled to Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Damascus on Monday for the first visit by a Western European head of state since Syria's new authorities took power in 2024.Macron, who will depart on Tuesday,

Assad, a cousin of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, began on Wednesday at the Palace of Justice in Damascus, marking the first court case involving a member of the al-Assad family since the fall of the former regime.

Bashar al-Assad is the former president of Syria who held power for decades before his government was overthrown during a rebel offensive. Assad fled to Moscow and was granted political asylum after the collapse of his administration. His leadership was ...