DAMASCUS: A third Saudi plane carrying humanitarian aid landed in Damascus this Thursday, marking a continued effort by Saudi Arabia to assist Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime last month.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported that the plane delivered a cargo of food, shelter, and medical supplies organized by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center. This operation is part of the kingdom’s broader relief airlift initiative, aiming to support the Syrian people during a period of significant upheaval. SPA emphasized Saudi Arabia’s enduring commitment to assisting Syria in times of crisis, highlighting the kingdom’s history of support.
Additional Saudi aid planes arrived in Syria on Wednesday, bringing the total number of planes dispatched by Saudi Arabia this week to three. According to SPA, from 2011 through the end of 2024, Saudi aid to Syria is projected to total nearly $857 million, underlining the scale of the kingdom’s humanitarian efforts in the region.
In a related development, the Syrian state news agency SANA reported the arrival of a Qatari airplane at Damascus airport, the second such delivery this week. According to SANA, this Qatari aircraft carried 20 tons of food supplies as part of Qatar’s emergency response to the crisis in Syria. The Qatari Foreign Ministry had announced on Monday that the first direct aid flight to Damascus had landed since the fall of Assad.
The recent events in Syria follow the departure of Bashar al-Assad to Russia after anti-regime groups seized control of Damascus on December 8, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long rule. This regime change occurred after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces executed a swift campaign, capturing key cities in less than two weeks.