Donald Trump's visit to the Middle East is certainly sending shockwaves across the region as the president outlines his vision for relations between the United States and Arab states.
It's been a trip so far complete with jets, Tesla cybertrucks and a meeting with a former Al Qaeda militant.
But there's also been notable omissions, of Israel in particular.
Here's what happened on the second day of Mr Trump's visit in the region.
A meeting with a 'tough guy'
The announcement the US would lift crippling sanctions on Syria, imposed during the rule of the oppressive Assad regime, was something which had been discussed since the former government was ousted.
But it came as a surprise when Mr Trump used a speech in Saudi Arabia to announce he had been convinced to scrap the measures, much to the delight of his host Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
It led to a meeting between Trump and the new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday morning, local time, in Riyadh.
That is something which would have been considered unthinkable just a couple of months ago, but which people like the prince had been pushing to bolster the militant-turned-politician's credentials.
And the pair seemed to have hit it off, with Mr Trump asked by journalists on Air Force One how he found the Syrian president.
"Great. I think a very good, young, attractive guy. Tough guy," he replied.
"A strong past, very strong past, fighter.
"He's got a real shot at pulling it together."
Mr Trump cited Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he said felt Mr Al-Sharaa had a "good shot at doing a good job" in pulling together "a torn-up country".
Until December last year, Mr Al-Sharaa was subject to a $US10 million bounty.
Mr Trump was asked whether the Syrian leader floated the idea of a Trump Tower project in Damascus.
"No, that I haven't heard. We'll have to wait a little while, when things have calmed down, with the, you know, the country," he said.
"I think he's got the potential. He's a real leader.
"He led a charge and it's pretty amazing."
The Israel snub
Mr Trump's trip to the Middle East does not include a stop in Israel — despite his assertions that no American president has ever done more for the country, and the US influence on the war in Gaza.
The president insisted he is not sidelining Israel by focusing his efforts on the Arabian peninsula. This trip is about business.
"This is good for Israel," he told reporters on Air Force One.
"Having a relationship like I have with these countries, Middle Eastern countries, essentially all of them, I think it's very good for Israel."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce he would be the first leader to visit Washington and meet with Mr Trump after his inauguration.
And he has returned to the White House for a second visit since.
But a reciprocal journey is not yet on the cards.
It appears there is a growing sense of impatience and frustration in Washington at how the war in Gaza is being managed by the Netanyahu government, and the lack of progress on a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
And there would not be any breakthrough for the US president to announce, if he did appear.
The release of the last surviving Israeli American hostage, Edan Alexander, on Monday was a gesture of goodwill by Hamas to the US, and appears to have been done without the direct involvement of Israeli officials.
The White House's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, has been in Israel, and has been meeting with the prime minister.
Officials have leaked to Israeli media that the prime minister had asked Mr Trump not to lift sanctions on Syria, and the US has also taken a different path to Israel on dealing with matters such as Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels.
A sojourn on the Bosphorus
Israel isn't the only place Mr Trump isn't heading to, he has also confirmed he wouldn't be stopping over in Türkiye.
The US president was in talks to go to Türkiye for peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia has announced its delegation, which included adviser Vladimir Medinsky and Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin, who took part in the last talks held between the two sides in 2022 in the weeks following Moscow's full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
The delegation did not include Mr Putin.
Earlier, Mr Trump, said "[Putin] would like me to be there, and that's a possibility … I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," Mr Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Qatar.
Presidential class on a Qatari plane
For Mr Trump, his trip through the Middle East is all about business — securing hundreds of billions of dollars in investment for the US.
One of the deals he signed in Qatar was for the gulf state to spend $US96 billion on 160 Boeing planes, in a massive coup for the American manufacturer.
The timing of that agreement is interesting, given the turbulence Mr Trump is facing over plans to accept the gift of a luxury plane from the Qatari government.
It is a $US400 million jet he wants to temporarily use in place of the ageing Air Force One.
The issue has sparked major concerns in the US about impropriety of accepting such an expensive gift, and the national security risk of using a plane not built for purpose.
The president has expressed his frustration at delays by Boeing to build two new planes for use as Air Force One.
The cybertruck convoy
As Mr Trump arrived in Qatar for the second stop on his Middle Eastern trip, roads in Doha were cleared ahead of his motorcade travelling from the airport to the Qatari emir's palace.
[TWEET: Cybertruck motorcade]It is a common sight to see legions of police cars, motorbikes and support vehicles in those convoys. Even horses, in the Middle East.
But something caught the eye of onlookers.
At the front of the motorcade, two Tesla cybertrucks — decked out in the red branding of Qatar police.
Videos posted on social media show the police have been using the angular vehicles for months now, but the inclusion in the president's convoy is notable.
That is because one of Mr Trump's key lieutenants, the Tesla-owning billionaire Elon Musk is travelling with him through the Middle East as part of a delegation of tech leaders.
And when the Qataris are trying to woo the president, every little bit helps.
