Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Syria on Wednesday on a rare two-day visit, where he held talks with country's President Bashar al-Assad. The meeting comes at a crucial time in Iran-Syria relations amid Damascus’ reintegration into the Arab world and following the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement in March.
Raisi's visit was scheduled earlier in the year, but reportedly got delayed for logistical reasons. He is the first Iranian president to visit Damascus since 2010 when his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmedenijad went to Damascus and met Assad alongside Hezbollah's secretary general Hassan Nasrallah.
In 2011, Syria descended into conflict after Assad's crackdown on the uprising, and the Iranian militant presence expanded in the country, provoking routine attacks from Israel inside Syria, including this Monday in Aleppo.
Assad welcomed Raisi to Syria with an official ceremony at the presidential palace in Damascus, but did not receive him at the airport. The two discussed bilateral relations, economic cooperation and developments in the Middle East. The Iranian delegation included several defense, energy, finance and construction officials, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency.
