Saudi Arabia announces Damascus area reconstruction project to clear rubble

Saudi Arabia has announced a new project to aid in Damascus, Syria’s capital, to improve ties with the country’s new rulers.

An aid package that would help remove an estimated 75 000 cubic meters of rubble from the capital and its environs was announced by the state-backed King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center charity (KSRelief).

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At a ceremony in Damascus, KSRelief’s director, Abdullah Al Rabeeah, described the organization as “honoured to inaugurate a number of humanitarian projects for the Syrian people,” including those that deal with food security, education, and health.

Additionally, the aid will fund the reconstruction of dozens of bakeries, Aleppo’s sewage and water infrastructure, and restore Damascus’ sewage and water infrastructure.

Raed al-Saleh, the minister for disaster management in Syria, stated in a post on X that the bilateral agreements would “affirm the strength of our two countries’ humanitarian and brotherly relations.”

Since the end of the government of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024 following a 13-year civil war, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other Gulf nations have supported Syria economically.

Late in July, Riyadh and Syria agreed to enter into a $6.4 billion investment and partnership agreement.

During the fighting, Damascus’ southern and eastern regions suffered significant damage, with entire neighborhoods being reduced to rubble. To relaunch the country’s economy, the new authorities in Damascus have resisted foreign investment.

According to its website, KSRelief runs or has completed 422 projects totaling more than $500 million in Syria. The majority of them concern food security and health.

Saudi Arabia has long supported the transitional regime in Damascus, led by transitional president Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former rebel who was based in Riyadh and made his first international visit there.

Saudi Arabia facilitated a meeting between al-Sharaa and Donald Trump in May, who later pushed for the lifting of all sanctions against Syria.

Saudi Arabia made a $2.9 billion investment in the nation in July, and it pledged to pay Qatar’s and Syria’s debt to the World Bank.