"We are restoring our relations with Syria with the consensus of our leadership," senior Hamas leader Khalil al Hayya tells media in the Syrian capital Damascus.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was recently re-elected to office, has lost his majority in the National Assembly as a newly-formed left-wing coalition and the far-right gained ground.
France had long refused mass repatriations of hundreds of French children detained in camps in Syria, dealing with them on a case-by-case basis that rights groups criticised as deliberately slow.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman rolls out a lavish welcome to the Chinese leader in stark contrast with the muted reception offered to US President Joe Biden in July.
