7,000 Syrians directly traveled to Saudi Arabia for Haj rituals, signifying Assad's reintegration into the Arab community after re-established ties in 2021.

7,000 Syrians from government-held territories directly travelled to Saudi Arabia for the first time in over a decade to perform Haj rituals, signifying Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's reintegration into the Arab community. Saudi Arabia re-established ties with Assad in 2021 and resumed direct flights from Damascus to Jeddah, allowing pilgrims to travel directly for the religious duty.