DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – A high-level Saudi delegation headed by the spy agency’s chief Khalid al-Humaidan arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday and met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to an exclusive report published by news website Rai Al Youm.
According to insider sources, the Saudi representatives informed their Syrian hosts that Riyadh welcomed Syria’s return to the Arab League, some ten years since its suspension after the Syrian forces defended the country and fought foreign-backed militants in a war that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands and forcibly displacing millions of Syrians.
The visit came as part of efforts to prepare for the reopening of the Saudi embassy in Damascus. The reopening of the embassy is reportedly seen as a first step to restore relations between the two countries, which had been severely strained as a result of the war in Syria and Riyadh’s support for militants aimed at toppling the Assad government.
While Saudi Arabia has supported militants in the conflict, Assad’s government has been backed by Iran.
This development comes in light of developments that Saudi Arabia has changed its stance against Iran. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has expressed willingness to patch up ties with Tehran.