French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Syria soon, Syrian state media said Sunday, making him the first Western leader to arrive in the country since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in 2024.

Macron hosted Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former Islamist leader who seized power in Damascus, in Paris in May 2025, and promised that he would push the European Union and the United States to lift crippling sanctions on Syria, most of which have been removed.

Iran began a procession Monday through its capital, Tehran, for the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei's flag-draped coffin, and those of his family killed Feb. 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, sat on board a truck. Authorities decorated the truck's side to resemble the ornamental grating that surrounds the shrine of an imam.

President Donald Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Wednesday while attending the NATO summit in Turkey, the White House said. Those discussions will come as Kyiv tries to refocus Trump's attention on the conflict with Moscow and as Trump has publicly mused about Syria's role in the Middle East.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly confirmed the meetings in a call with reporters while previewing the upcoming summit in Ankara, where Trump also plans to meet with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday. Before returning to the United States on Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to have a news conference, Kelly said.

Representatives of Tehran-backed militant groups attended the funeral ceremonies of slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday, with envoys from Hezbollah and Hamas meeting with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, state media reported.

Tehran has for years provided support to Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels -- all designated "terrorist" groups by the United States and other Western nations, making Iran the target of international sanctions.

Iran's ambassador to China insisted that new fees would be charged to ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz -- an idea rejected by Washington -- while assuring that "friendly" nations would receive special treatment.

The initial deal struck between Iran and the United States to end their war stipulated that commercial ships would transit the strait free of charge for 60 days, but it remains unclear what will be in place after that period.

Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu could visit the White House as early as next week, U.S. President Donald Trump told Axios, adding that the prime minister "knows who the boss is" in their relationship.

The possible meeting comes amid reports of tensions between the two leaders over efforts to end the war against Iran that the U.S. and Israel started in late February.

Prayers were held Sunday over the casket of Iran's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, the second day of funeral ceremonies that have drawn huge crowds to pay their final respects in Tehran.

Khamenei ruled the Islamic republic from 1989 until he was killed aged 86 in an airstrike on the first day of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.

Yemen's Houthis threatened Saudi airports and vital assets should Riyadh violate its airspace or attempt to attack it, as the rebels accused the kingdom of trying to stop an Iranian plane from landing.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Friday and agreed to meet "soon" in the United States, the premier's office said.

Mourners beat their chests and chanted "revenge, revenge" as thousands gathered in Tehran early Saturday for a final farewell to slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.