France's Macron in first post-Assad visit to Damascus : why the Syria stopover ?

Summary

As Iran buries its Supreme Guide who was killed last February, and Hamas started to disarm in Gaza, Emmanuel Macron is going to Damascus, for the first visit of a French President since Nicolas Sarkozy met the deposed President Bachar Al-Assad in 2009. The timing of this visit raises questions, as well as the objectives of the French President when meeting his Syrian counterpart Ahmed Al-Shareh.