The Damascus airport welcomed its first international commercial flight since Bashar Assad’s fall, as a Royal Jordanian Airlines plane arrived from Qatar on Tuesday. The test flight, led by Capt. Haitham Misto and a team of specialists, aimed to assess the airport’s technical condition ahead of resuming regular flights.

Since Assad was ousted in a rebel offensive last month, Syria has seen renewed diplomatic engagement, with Arab and Western nations reopening ties. The country’s new de facto rulers, Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have focused on restoring relations.

Former president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad.

Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani has recently visited Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, seeking Gulf funding for reconstruction after 14 years of civil war. On Tuesday, he met with Jordanian officials in Amman to discuss cooperation in sectors such as trade, energy, and security.

Syria’s new administration has also targeted the illicit Captagon trade, dismantling drug factories in Damascus, Latakia, and Douma, signaling efforts to address regional tensions.