Iranian President to Visit Syria Next Week

Reuters reported today, Friday, that a senior regional source close to the Syrian government stated, "Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will visit Damascus next week." It added that "the resumption of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the breakthrough concerning the lifting of the Arab isolation imposed on Syria paved the way for the visit." This will be Raisi's first visit as an Iranian president to Syria, its main ally in the region, since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. Iran and Russia have provided military assistance and economic support to Assad, enabling him to turn the tide of the conflict and regain control over most parts of the country. The pro-government Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported that Raisi's visit will last for two days and will witness the signing of several agreements, particularly in the field of economic cooperation.