Saudi Arabia appointed Dr Faisal Al-Mujfel as its first ambassador to Syria since relations were severed in 2012 on Sunday. This appointment comes after Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Syria earlier this year.

The diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Syria initially deteriorated following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, sparked by the crackdowns on popular protests. The war has since seen millions displaced and catalyzed humanitarian and economic crises in Syria. Saudi Arabia, along with several other Arab nations, cut diplomatic relations with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in 2012.

In 2023, Saudi Arabia agreed to reopen its embassy in Damascus as part of an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose strained relations have played out in the war in Syria. Syria was subsequently readmitted into the Arab League as part of a broader initiative by certain Arab countries to normalize relations with Assad’s regime.

Normalization efforts have led to increased pressure for Syrian refugees to return. Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch have also raised concerns about the implications for accountability based on serious human rights violations committed by the Syrian government against citizens during the war. The United States and the European Union continue to impose sanctions on Syria and the Assad regime.