Three days in the Middle East have put President Trump’s bromance diplomacy on full display. “I like you too much,” Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, later placing his hand on his heart as the two men bid farewell on the airport tarmac.

COMMENTARY: The Vatican and the White House seem to be on the same page when it comes to the peace and survival of Christians in the Middle East.

Current world news highlights include an Israeli offensive in Gaza, U.S. President Trump's diplomatic interactions in the Gulf and Africa, peace talks involving Russia and Ukraine, and challenges faced in the U.

Trump's Middle East policy was captured by an address in Saudi Arabia during which he repeated his desire to "end past conflicts and forge new partnerships," "even if our differences may be profound."

President Donald Trump kicked off his trip to the Gulf with a surprise announcement that the United States will lift long-standing sanctions on Syria, and a $600 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in the US.

President Trump met with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and urged him to expel "Palestinian terrorists" from the country and sign on to the historic Abraham Accords.

President Trump's announcement that US sanctions on Syria would be lifted was met with elation by Syrians. Syria has a long way to go to recover from years of civil war and brutal dictatorship. But experts say the country needs to see sanctions lifted just to have a chance at beginning the long process of rebuilding.

President Trump, speaking in Saudi Arabia, said he will order the end of sanctions against Syria to normalize relations with its new government.

Trump also became the first US president in 25 years to meet a Syrian leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, after removing sanctions on the war-torn country following appeals from Saudi's Prince Mohammed and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.