Saudi Arabia delivers vital aid to post-Assad Syria with 4th relief plane

A fourth Saudi relief plane landed in Damascus on January 3, delivering essential aid as part of a humanitarian airlift launched by Saudi Arabia to support Syria in the aftermath of the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

The flight, coordinated by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, provided food, shelter, and medical supplies to help Syrians recover from the ongoing crisis, Caliber.Az reports citing Turkish media.

This follows three earlier flights earlier in the week, with two on January 1 and one on January 2, each carrying similar relief goods.

Saudi Arabia has been a long-standing humanitarian ally to Syria since the 2011 uprising, with the Kingdom having contributed a total of $856.9 million in aid by the end of 2024, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

This support comes at a crucial time as the World Bank reports that 27% of Syrians, roughly 5.7 million people, are living in extreme poverty, struggling to meet their basic needs amid ongoing economic turmoil.

The Saudi airlift was initiated to address the urgent humanitarian needs of the Syrian people following the collapse of the Assad regime, which marked the end of 61 years of Baath Party rule and over five decades of Assad family leadership. The regime's fall came swiftly after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that took less than two weeks.

A new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, has since taken power in Syria, ushering in a new phase of political and humanitarian recovery.

By Tamilla Hasanova