Saudi Arabia and Syria Agree to Reopen Embassies: Reports

Saudi Arabia and Syria have agreed to reopen their embassies after an 11-year freeze in diplomatic relations.

The two governments are "preparing to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr", a government source told Reuters, referring to the celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The move comes in the wake of the re-establishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Syria's closest ally in the region, earlier this month.

According to a regional source and a diplomat in the Gulf who spoke to Reuters, the decision was the result of talks in Saudi Arabia with a senior Syrian intelligence official.

The move represents a major step forward in what has been a gradual process of reintegrating Syria back into the regional fold after years of isolation.

Last week, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the United Arab Emirates, his second to the country since the re-establishment of ties in 2018. The visit follows a trip to Oman last month.

It was widely reported - yet not officially confirmed - that Maher al-Assad, the Syrian president’s brother and head of the feared Fourth Armoured Division, visited Saudi Arabia earlier this week and received the kingdom’s conditions for normalization.