Damascus is its capital (5)
I believe the answer is:
syria
'damascus is its capital' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for syria that I've seen before include "Ray is in the war-torn country, oddly" , "Country E. of Lebanon" , "Country bordering Lebanon" , "Country bordering Iraq" , "Near eastern country" .)