The two Mideast powerhouses have been trying to block the rise of Islamist groups in the region for two decades. The rebel takeover in Damascus will test that approach.

Saudi Arabia on Sunday sent another relief plane to Syria as part of an air bridge launched by the kingdom to assist Syria following last month’s fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Saudi state news agency SPA said the plane is loaded with food, medical supplies, and shelter materials, though specific quantities were not disclosed.

A high-level delegation from Syria's transitional government visited Saudi Arabia on Thursday, marking their first foreign trip and signalling a warming of ties with the oil-rich monarchy. The team, including Syria's newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani,

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani travelled to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday on the first visit abroad by officials of the new Syrian government installed after the overthrow of former president Bashar Al Assad last month.

A senior Syrian delegation led by foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani arrived in Riyadh on its first official foreign trip since Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebels last month. The group, which includes defence minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab,

The Saudi trip comes amid a wider reset of ties since last month’s overthrow of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was isolated from many other Gulf nations due to Assad’s human rights abuses during the Syrian civil war. Instead, Damascus relied heavily in later years on Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran.

Saudi Arabia expressed support for new Syrian administration, says Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani - Anadolu Ajansı

A Syrian delegation led by newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday in its first official visit abroad, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a foreign ministry source.

The newly appointed foreign minister in the Syrian interim administration established after the fall of Assad said he accepted an invitation from his Saudi counterpart to visit the kingdom, which would be his first official visit abroad.

On Wednesday, a Syrian delegation that included Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra, and intelligence chief Anas Khattab arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, for the new Syrian government’s first diplomatic trip abroad.