Iran resumes religious flights to Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The head of the Iranian Hajj and Visitation Organization, Ali Reza Rashidian, said on Sunday that his country will resume visiting the holy shrines for Shia Muslims in Syria.
“The resumption of these flights comes in implementation of previously agreements concluded with the Syrian government, and the first batch of visitors will arrive today,” Rashidian told Iran’s Fars news agency.
Earlier, ASharq al-Awsat newspaper reported unnamed sources as stressing that visitors from Iraqi and Lebanon will continue coming to the region, despite the announcement of “closing places of worship to confront Coronavirus”.
The newspaper pointed out that the visitors are not necessarily civilians. Rather, they are most likely members of the Iranian-backed factions in Syria.
“The Hajj and Visitation Organisation dedicated two flights a week from Tehran International Airport to Damascus for visiting the shrines of Sayyada Zainab in Rif Dimashq, and Sayyida Ruqayya in Damascus,” the Iranian official added.
In November 2021, Rashidian visited Damascus and agreed with the Syrian Minister of Tourism, Muhammad Martini, to resume religious trips. In the first stage of the agreement, Iran would send 100,000 Iranians to Syria to visit the religious sites.
According to Rashidian, the Syrian government pledged to provide complete security to the Iranians pilgrims.
In his turn, Martini said, Damascus is looking forward to facilitate the religious visits and he had encouraged Syrian tourist agencies to receive Iranian pilgrims in the foreseeable future.
Iran and Syria agreed to cancel the visa requirement between the two countries in 2009, to facilitate Iranian tourism to Syria, but group religious trips from Iran to Syria stopped in 2011 after the outbreak of the Syrian war.
Press reports said large numbers of the factions recruited by Iran in Syria have taken “Sayyida Zainab” in Rif Dimashq, the city of al-Bukamal, east Syria, and the southern countryside of Aleppo, as centers for them, in addition to other areas in the country.