First Syrian jet in over a decade transports Muslim worshippers to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — For the first time in over a decade, 270 Syrians traveled on a direct flight early Tuesday from Damascus to Saudi Arabia for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, the Syrian Transportation Ministry said.

The development is part of an ongoing thaw in relations between Damascus and Riyadh, which days ago appointed Saudi Arabia’s first ambassador to war-torn Syria since severing ties in 2012.

Syria was readmitted to the 22-member Arab League in 2023, after it had been suspended from the group for more than a decade over President Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on anti-government protesters in 2011. Most countries in the Arab world have since restored diplomatic ties with Damascus.

A second plane of pilgrims is set to depart from Damascus to Jeddah late Tuesday, the ministry said.

1.8 million Muslims from around the world took part in last year’s Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, making it one of the world’s largest religious gatherings. This year, it’s scheduled to begin on the evening of June 14.