A senior regional source close to the Syrian government told Reuters today, Friday, that Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will visit Damascus next week.
This will be the first visit by an Iranian president to Damascus since the outbreak of the crisis in Syria in 2011.
The source added that the resumption of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran and the occurrence of a breakthrough with regard to ending the Arab isolation imposed on Syria paved the way for the visit.
The Syrian newspaper, Al-Watan, which is close to the government, stated that Raisi's visit will last for two days and will witness the signing of several agreements, especially in the field of economic cooperation.
Iran and Russia provided military assistance and economic support to Assad, which enabled him to turn the tide of the conflict and regain control of most of his country. Iran also previously provided lines of credit to Damascus and imports phosphates from Syrian mines.
Regional sources revealed this month that Iran secretly brought weapons and military equipment to Syria under the guise of relief efforts in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey last February, according to Reuters.
