Germany’s foreign minister has warned Syria’s new leaders that lifting sanctions imposed on the country will depend on them not establishing a new Islamist government.

President Emmanuel Macron accused Elon Musk of interfering in elections worldwide, backing reactionary movements. Macron also mentioned the strong alliance between US president-elect Donald Trump and France.

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said on Monday that Syrian refugees must be in employment if they are to remain in the country. "We can make good use of those who work here," Habeck said on the Deutschlandfunk public radio station.

All Syrian groups, including women and Kurds, must be involved in the country's transition if Damascus wants European support, Germany's foreign minister said after a closely-watched first meeting with the new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday.

Top diplomats from Germany and France went to Damascus on behalf of the European Union. It’s the first such trip in years, part of a flurry of Western outreach.

The more than one million Syrians who fled to Germany have celebrated the end of war in their homeland. Some fear it could mean losing their refugee status.

The visit by European ministers symbolizes a significant shift in international diplomacy following years of strained relations between Europe and Syria.

Israel’s continued military operations in Syria, which it said on Sunday are intended to “strengthen the defense of Israel’s citizens,” have drawn accusations from the United Nations and some member states that Israel is violating a decades-long cease-fire by sending its troops within and beyond a buffer zone between the countries.