Iran

From new tour operators bringing foreign tourists to Syria to recent developments in tourism projects in Tartous, Lattakia or Palmyra; is the tourism industry having momentum?

Amid limited progress in the normalisation with Damascus, two recent meetings between Yemeni and Syrian officials seem to signal Yemen’s bid to bolster a rapprochement process stalled since Damascus’ return to the Arab League in May.

On September 7, the Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, declared his forces had “full control” of the areas in Deir-ez-Zor province that had witnessed 12-day clashes between the US-backed SDF and some local Arab tribes. 

The World Bank and the Syrian Center for Policy Research released this week two separate reports analysing the impact of the earthquake in Syria’s war-torn economy.

Earlier this month, Iranian officials confirmed that they will soon launch several investments in Syria’s telecommunications, banking, and insurance sectors. 

The Syrian government has licensed two Saudi-owned companies to invest in Syria’s phosphate, fertiliser, and cement sectors, a rare instance of Saudi investments in the country since the 2011 conflict began. The decision is also a notable development given that, until now, Damascus has largely reserved the phosphate and fertiliser sectors to its traditional allies.