Assad Arrives To Red Carpet Treatment In Saudi Arabia, Historic 1st Since War Began

These are images that Washington never wanted world to behold, following more than a decade-long regime change proxy war aimed at Damascus…

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has in a historic visit arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Thursday in his presidential plane. 

The Syrian head of state, long under severe US sanctions, triumphantly exited the plane in what many supporters are calling a ‘victorious’ moment – with one regional commentator remarking “the Lion has landed”. 

This year’s summit in Jeddah, set to begin Friday, will witness Syria’s formal readmittance to the 22-member Arab League after a 12-year suspension

In November 2011 the Arab League kicked Syria out of the organization, citing the crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests, but which immediately turned into an armed insurrection. Syria had maintained the move was “illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter.”

Hello#Assad #Syria #KSA #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/YD0GeAElc3

— H.K ?? (@Ibra_Joudeh) May 18, 2023

The Biden administration has meanwhile been urging regional allies to not pursue normalization with Assad. Despite this, UAE was the first to do so – and as of March Saudi Arabia and Syria agreed to reopen their respective embassies after more than a decade.

Even Saudi media has done a dramatic about-face on Assad…

The Saudi Al-Arabiya TV which was pushing for regime change in Syria day and night, is celebrating today the arrival of Assad to Jeddah. pic.twitter.com/G233dEXLHp

— Kevork Almassian???? (@KevorkAlmassian) May 18, 2023

It must be recalled that Saudi Arabia worked “hand and glove” (in the words of then Vice President Biden years ago) with the US and NATO countries to train, equip, and fund hardline jihadist insurgents who waged war against the Syrian state and its people…

NSA doc shows Syrian opposition was Saudi proxy. Prince ordered it to “light up Damascus” and “flatten” airport in 2013. Was “very pleased” pic.twitter.com/MNLRueNIiC

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) October 24, 2017

Meanwhile…

Surreal: President Bashar al-Assad was welcomed at Jeddah airport by Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, brother of Bandar bin Sultan who plotted to assassinate Assad in 2013 and asked Arab countries to allocate $2 trillion to remove Assad from power. pic.twitter.com/4NxXUZFOaO

— Kevork Almassian???? (@KevorkAlmassian) May 18, 2023

Some prominent US government-connected think tank pundits are outraged at the spectacle of Assad’s plane landing in the kingdom, given the monumental shift it represents in Saudi policy…

Bashar al-#Assad‘s Syrian Air flight is due to land in #Jeddah imminently.

What a stain on the #MiddleEast — granted a seat in #ArabLeague in exchange for absolutely nothing in return.

Years of passive appeasement by the West paved the path for this regional capitulation. pic.twitter.com/5hEefVV18Y

— Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) May 18, 2023

President Assad survived years of regime change efforts which were funded to the tune of billions, and now these same countries are forced to ‘play nice’ and acknowledge the centrality of Syria in the regional order.

#Arabiasaudita?? #Siria??

Lo storico momento dell’arrivo del presidente #siriano Bashar Al Assad a #Jeddah per partecipare al 32esimo vertice della Lega araba#???_??? #????? #???????? #???????_??????? pic.twitter.com/oVKmBhN4AP

— Naman Tarcha ????? ???? (@NamanTarcha) May 18, 2023

The US and Israel are very worried over these developments and Assad’s “coming in from the cold”, to say the least, and there’s no sign US Congress is ready to drop anti-Damascus sanctions.