The first international flight since the overthrow of Assad lands in Syria Syrian war news

The first international commercial flight since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad landed at Damascus airport.

The Qatar Airways flight landed at Damascus International Airport on Tuesday, and was received by relatives and friends of the passengers inside the airport building.

Ashad Al-Salibi, head of the Syrian Air Transport Authority, said that Qatar provided assistance in rehabilitating the airport, which had suffered from years of neglect in addition to being damaged by periodic Israeli air strikes.

He added: “There has been great damage by the (Assad) regime in this vital area and this vital airport, as well as Aleppo airport.”

Many of the passengers were Syrian citizens returning for the first time in more than a decade.

Osama Maslama, who came from the United States, said this was his first visit since before the civil war that began in 2011.

“I have lost hope of returning to Syria,” he said. “We were waiting for this moment and lost hope, but thank God now the country has returned to its people.”

Separately, Jordan’s state-run Petra News Agency reported that a Royal Jordanian plane had departed for Damascus on a test flight.

Head of the Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority, Haitham Misto, who was on board the flight with a team of specialists, said that the goal is to evaluate the technical condition of Damascus Airport before resuming regular flights.

Since the rebel blitz that ousted Assad a month ago, Arab and Western countries that severed ties with the previous government have reopened diplomatic relations with Syria’s new de facto authorities, headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa of the Editorial Board. Al-Sham (Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham).

“Security, stability and sovereignty”

The new Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani, traveled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in recent days. Gulf states are likely to play a major role in financing Syria’s reconstruction after the nearly 14-year civil war that preceded Assad’s ouster.

On Tuesday, Al-Shaibani traveled to Jordan to meet his counterpart in Amman. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said that officials are scheduled to discuss “cooperation mechanisms in many fields, including borders, security, energy, transportation, water, trade, and other vital sectors.”

Under Assad’s rule, Jordan served as the main conduit for the smuggling of highly addictive Captagon amphetamines produced in Syria into the Gulf states, which was a point of tension between the two countries.

The new Syrian authorities have demonstrated their crackdown on the Captagon trade, dismantling former factories at sites including the Mezzeh air base in Damascus, a car trading company in Latakia, and a factory that made snack chips in the Damascus suburb of Douma.

Al-Shaibani said: “The new situation in Syria has also ended the threats that previously threatened the security of the Kingdom (of Jordan), with regard to drugs and Captagon, and we pledge that this thing has ended and will not return again.” In a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Al-Safadi said that his country supports the Syrian people in their work to “rebuild their homeland on foundations that preserve its security, stability, sovereignty and unity and fulfill the rights of its people,” adding that Jordan is “ready to provide electricity.” To our brothers immediately, and we are also ready to work together to provide gas.”

Syria, which is targeted by strict Western sanctions, is suffering from a long-term economic crisis. Syrians get only a few hours of state-provided electricity each day.

Separately, Al-Shaibani said in the joint press conference that the authorities in Syria are expected to form a comprehensive committee to prepare for the “National Dialogue Conference” to discuss the country’s future.

He said that the interim authorities had initially intended to hold the conference in early January, but instead “we chose to form an expanded preparatory committee” that would meet at an unspecified date.

The Foreign Minister said that the committee “will include men and women… capable of fully representing the Syrian people” across “all segments of society and Syrian governorates.”