Saudi Arabia has set up a humanitarian airlift to Syria to transport food, shelters and medical supplies, the official SPA news agency reported.
The airlift was set up by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) to “ease the impact of the difficult conditions facing the Syrian people,” SPA said, adding that Riyadh’s airlift would be “followed by a land transport bridge in the coming days.”
Several other parties, including the European Union and Ukraine, have also announced aid for Syria - where the United Nations says an average of seven in 10 people are in need of assistance.
Earlier, a source close to the Saudi Arabian government confirmed that a high-ranking delegation from the country had arrived in Damascus to meet with Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Saudi Arabia sent aid to Syria after the devastating earthquake in February 2023. On December 23, a Saudi delegation met with Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus to discuss the situation in Syria.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with President B. Al-Assad's regime in 2012. Last year, Riyadh restored ties with Damascus and played a key role in bringing Syria back to the Arab League, ending its regional isolation.