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Syria, Jordan Seek to Restart Historic Hejaz Railway Line

Al-Qadam Train Station in Damascus – SANA
Al-Qadam Train Station in Damascus – SANA
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Syria, Jordan Seek to Restart Historic Hejaz Railway Line

Al-Qadam Train Station in Damascus – SANA
Al-Qadam Train Station in Damascus – SANA

Cooperation between Syria and Jordan in the fields of economy, trade, and transport has taken a significant leap forward since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime late last year, with the latest development marked by an agreement to hold a meeting aimed at reviving the historic Hejaz railway line.

The joint Syrian-Jordanian technical committee on land transport concluded a two-day meeting in Amman on Wednesday, focusing on boosting bilateral relations, particularly in land transport, a vital sector supporting trade and people’s movement, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported.

A key topic was linking Damascus and Amman by rail. Both sides agreed to hold a soon-to-be-scheduled technical meeting with relevant authorities to explore the feasibility of reopening the Hejaz railway line, initially for freight transport.

The committee also agreed to reduce and unify transit fees to 2 percent in both countries, down from Jordan’s previous 5 percent charge. The Jordanian delegation underscored the importance of facilitating the passage of transit trucks across both territories and pledged to remove any technical or procedural obstacles to enhance trade flow and regional economic integration.

This renewed cooperation follows years of suspension due to the former Syrian regime’s policies.

Meanwhile, Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Borders announced on Wednesday it had reached an agreement with Jordanian authorities to cancel the $115 diesel tax previously imposed on Syrian trucks entering Jordanian territory, making the measure reciprocal.

In April, Zahi Khalil, Director-General of the Jordanian Hejaz Railway Foundation, announced plans to launch tourist train trips from Jordan to Syria, passing through historic stations along the border. The proposed route would start at Amman’s Hejaz station, pass through Zarqa and Mafraq, cross into Syria via the Jaber border, and terminate at Damascus’ Al-Qadam station, the last stop on the Hejaz line.

Khalil noted that Syrian counterparts would handle maintenance within Syria, while technical and security challenges, especially line interruptions inside Syria, are still being addressed.

The Hejaz railway, built during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II, is a 1,050- mm-wide gauge rail connecting Damascus to Madinah. Constructed between 1900 and 1908 to serve Muslim pilgrims and consolidate Ottoman control, it was operational until World War I, with construction costs initially estimated at 3.5 million Ottoman lira, supplemented by donations from within the empire and other Islamic countries.

The line’s route follows the traditional pilgrimage path from Syria’s Hauran region through Daraa into Jordan, continuing to Madinah, shortening pilgrimage travel time from 40 days by camel to just five days by rail.

The surge in Syria-Jordan cooperation in economic, trade, and transport sectors reflects a broader effort to reshape bilateral relations on economic grounds, aiming for sustained long-term collaboration after Assad’s fall.

In late May, Damascus and Amman inaugurated the “Higher Coordination Council” following a visit by Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi to Syria, where he met with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shabaan. This came after Jordan’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Supply announced on February 27 the resumption of operations at the Syria-Jordan joint free zone.

In early June, Amman’s chambers of commerce president Khalil al-Haj al-Tawfiq reported a sharp rise in trade exchange with Syria, driven by economic openness and reconstruction efforts, describing trade figures as unprecedented.

Between mid-December 2024 and late May 2025, 55,566 trucks entered Jordan through the Jaber border crossing, including 30,154 Jordanian, 5,768 Syrian, and 19,644 foreign trucks. Outbound trucks totaled 59,788, comprising 21,574 exports and 36,805 transit trucks from other centers, with 1,409 empty trucks.

These developments follow a long period of border tension under the previous Syrian regime, when border areas became hubs for smuggling drugs, weapons, and militants. Such activities have declined since the regime’s downfall.

Abed Fadliya, an economics professor at Damascus University, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that Syrian-Jordanian economic and trade ties have noticeably improved over recent months thanks to joint government efforts.

“Geographically, Jordan is one of Syria’s most important neighbors due to its openness and its role as a gateway for Syrian goods and people to most Arab countries, especially the Gulf states with which Syria maintains close cooperation across several sectors, particularly trade and investment,” Fadliya said.

He added that Jordan is among the key Arab countries that have distinguished relations with Syria, alongside Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, emphasizing the need for sustained government efforts to cement these ties on a stable political foundation framed by bilateral agreements.

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Arab World

Israel Seeks to Cement Status Quo of Its New Occupation in Syria

Members of Israel’s special reserve unit “Alpine Mountains” during training on Mount Hermon in Syria (Israeli army) 
Members of Israel’s special reserve unit “Alpine Mountains” during training on Mount Hermon in Syria (Israeli army) 
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Israel Seeks to Cement Status Quo of Its New Occupation in Syria

Members of Israel’s special reserve unit “Alpine Mountains” during training on Mount Hermon in Syria (Israeli army) 
Members of Israel’s special reserve unit “Alpine Mountains” during training on Mount Hermon in Syria (Israeli army) 

A senior Israeli official has acknowledged that disagreements with Syria remain “very deep,” dismissing what the United States has described as a positive atmosphere surrounding negotiations. “The reality is quite different,” the official said.

The remarks indicate that Israel intends to preserve the current situation created by its recent occupation of Syrian territory and rejects any withdrawal, not only from Mount Hermon but also from the nine positions it established following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Israel has reportedly set far-reaching conditions in return, including barring Syria from deploying anti-aircraft missiles.

According to a report by Maariv political correspondent Anna Barsky, intensive talks held in Paris over two days last week, involving representatives from Israel, Syria, and the United States, produced only a limited outcome.

The discussions resulted in an agreement to establish a coordination mechanism aimed at preventing field-level friction, to be managed with active US involvement, but fell short of any broader political or security breakthrough.

Barsky wrote that there is currently no possibility of reaching a security agreement between Israel and Syria. While she cited Syria’s demand for an Israeli withdrawal from Syrian Mount Hermon as the main obstacle, the report suggests that Israel’s own demands are the primary factor blocking progress.

According to the senior official, Israel’s conditions include maintaining the new reality that emerged after Assad’s downfall in December 2024. This includes areas formerly designated as a UN-monitored buffer zone, an additional strip deeper along the border covering about 450 square kilometers, and all the peaks of Mount Hermon.

Israel is also seeking to strip the Syrian army of what it defines as strategic weapons, including advanced anti-aircraft systems or any arms that could disrupt the existing military balance. In addition, it demands that no foreign forces be present in Syria if they could restrict the Israeli army’s freedom of movement, specifically Russian or Turkish forces.

The report noted that the US administration, while pressing both sides to advance toward security understandings, supports Israeli demands it considers essential to Israel’s security, particularly remaining on Mount Hermon, though Washington is expected to propose compromise arrangements.

At the same time, Barsky reported growing concern in Tel Aviv over a parallel Syrian track: efforts by Damascus to coordinate with Moscow to redeploy Russian military forces in Syria, especially in the south.

Israel views such a move as a direct threat to its operational freedom and has worked to thwart initiatives aimed at restoring a Russian presence there. According to Maariv, Israel has conveyed a firm message to Damascus, Moscow, and Washington that it will not tolerate Russian forces in southern Syria.

The newspaper linked this stance to past experience, noting that while Russia maintained two main bases in Syria - Hmeimim Air Base and the naval facility in Tartus - it also deployed military police and observation posts near the disengagement zone in the south. Israel believes a return to that model would impose new operational constraints and alter the rules of engagement.

Although Russia’s footprint in Syria shrank after Assad’s fall, Israeli assessments suggest Moscow is seeking, in coordination with Syria’s new authorities, to rebuild its influence despite its preoccupation with the war in Ukraine.

The report said that both Moscow and Damascus view a Russian presence in southern Syria as strategically valuable, particularly as a means of constraining Israel.

 

 

Arab World

Hezbollah Raises Civil War Threat Over Disarmament Plan

Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)
Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)
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Hezbollah Raises Civil War Threat Over Disarmament Plan

Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)
Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)

Hezbollah escalated its response to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam over plans to press ahead with restricting weapons to the state and extending the move to areas north of the Litani River, raising the specter of civil war as tensions over the issue intensify.

Mahmoud Qamati, vice president of Hezbollah’s political council, said in a televised interview that statements by the president and prime minister on confining weapons north of the Litani meant the government was heading toward chaos and instability, and toward an internal situation that no one would accept, possibly even a civil war.

The government last week tasked the Lebanese army commander, during a cabinet session, with preparing a plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani, after announcing that the objectives of the first phase of the plan to confine arms to the state south of the river had been achieved.

Qamati’s Position

Hezbollah says that before any discussion begins on the fate of its weapons outside the area south of the river, Israel must stop violating Lebanese sovereignty, withdraw from points it occupies, and release prisoners.

Qamati said on Tuesday that some parties were insisting on implementing foreign dictates and offering concessions to Israel for free and without any return.

He added that the army’s role was not to protect Israel from any military action from Lebanon, but to confront Israel, which he said occupies Lebanese territory.

Accusing some members of the government of collusion to implement a US-Israeli plan for personal calculations, Qamati called for a return to reason, wisdom, and “Lebanese-Lebanese dialogue”.

War Against Whom?

Lebanese Industry Minister Joe Issa El-Khoury expressed surprise at Hezbollah’s threat of a civil war, asking between whom such a war would take place, between an illegitimate armed group and the legitimate army.

Civil wars, he said, usually erupt between illegitimate armed groups, warning that if Hezbollah did not hand over its weapons, other unarmed groups might rearm on the grounds that the army was unable to protect them.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, El-Khoury said it was unacceptable for one group alone to be armed to fight Israel, adding that Lebanon either builds a state together or looks for other projects. While the region was moving forward with strong momentum, he said, Lebanon was moving backward.

El-Khoury said the army’s forthcoming plan to restrict weapons north of the Litani should not include multiple phases, but rather a single phase running until the end of March.

He stressed that linking implementation to the army’s capabilities and resources was misplaced.

He recalled that the strongest militia after the civil war was the Lebanese Forces, which later committed to building the state and handed over its weapons to the army, thereby eliminating the need for army deployment in areas where the group had been present.

That, he said, was what should happen today with Hezbollah.

Party Warning

Sources familiar with Hezbollah’s internal thinking told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group did not want a clash with the army, and that the army did not intend to seize weapons by force.

The warning issued by Qamati, they said, was directed at political forces pushing for disarmament by force. The sources added that the current moves were an attempt to create the right conditions to reach a consensus solution to the issue.

Remarks by Rajji

Hezbollah’s veiled threats of civil war coincided with a fierce campaign by lawmakers from the Shiite duo, Amal and Hezbollah, against Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji.

In a televised interview, Rajji said that the ceasefire declaration approved by the government provided for Hezbollah’s weapons to be confined in return for a halt to Israeli attacks, and that as long as the weapons were not fully confined, Israel, unfortunately, had the right to continue its attacks.

Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Ammar described the remarks as dangerous, saying they required a clear and firm stance from the president and prime minister, as well as a halt to such statements, which he said inflamed internal divisions and served only to benefit the enemy.

Qassem Hashem, a member of the Development and Liberation bloc, said Rajji’s comments went beyond impropriety to justifying Israeli aggression against Lebanon, calling it a violation of sovereignty and a blow to national dignity.

He said the remarks should not pass without accountability in cabinet, and that in a fully sovereign state, the minister would be dismissed.

Another lawmaker from the bloc, Mohammed Khawaja, asked the president and prime minister whether Rajji was truly Lebanon’s foreign minister, accusing him of focusing on finding justifications for Israel.

In response, El-Khoury told Asharq Al-Awsat that Rajji’s remarks reflected the government’s position, not a personal view.

He said the agreement approved by Hezbollah listed the parties authorized to carry weapons and did not include Hezbollah, meaning that the group’s insistence on keeping its arms constituted a breach of the agreement and provided Israel with a pretext to refuse to implement its provisions.

Arab World

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Committee Members to Meet Mladenov at US Embassy in Cairo

Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.
Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Committee Members to Meet Mladenov at US Embassy in Cairo

Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.
Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.

Palestinian sources reported that figures nominated to lead a temporary Gaza Administration Committee are scheduled to meet on Thursday with Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov, the nominee to head the executive body of the Board of Peace, at the US embassy in Cairo.

Sources from civil society and Palestinian factions, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that meetings of some factions in Cairo on Wednesday would discuss several issues related to the second phase, including agreement on the names put forward for the Gaza Administration Committee.

They added that there was preliminary acceptance of these names.

The sources said that despite reservations by the Palestinian Authority over the committee, some of its members, and the fact that its work would report to the Board of Peace to be announced by US President Donald Trump, assessments suggest there will be no opposition to it given the current internal Palestinian situation and the urgent need for Hamas to exit the governance scene in Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority had hoped that a minister from the government led by Mohammad Mustafa would assume responsibility for the committee, but Israel and the United States opposed that option.

Arrangements for travel

Regarding travel for committee members based inside Gaza, the sources said arrangements were underway, though the mechanism had not yet been finalized as of Wednesday afternoon. They said members based outside the enclave, in European countries or in Ramallah, including Ali Shaath, who is seen as the likely head of the committee, were expected to arrive in Cairo on Wednesday.

The sources said those already in Egypt were prepared, and that members inside Gaza could be included virtually if travel proved impossible, though that scenario was not expected.

Meetings with Mladenov

The meeting will focus on the committee’s mandate to administer Gaza.

An announcement is expected once agreement is reached on the members and their responsibilities, either on Wednesday or Thursday, ahead of Trump’s anticipated announcement of the Board of Peace. Mladenov would head the board’s executive body and oversee the technocratic committee.

Several meetings between committee members and Mladenov are planned, all at the US embassy, according to some sources, who added that a dedicated financial fund had been designated to support the committee’s work.

Multiple sources said the committee would assume full governmental responsibilities in Gaza and that Hamas would expedite the handover of authority and provide all necessary support.

Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Tuesday evening some of the names expected to join the new committee, which is set to comprise between 15 and 18 members. Most are from Gaza, comprising mainly businessmen, economists, civil society leaders, and academics.

Names obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat include Ali Shaath, a former deputy transport minister in the Palestinian Authority; Abdel Karim Ashour, head of the Agricultural Relief Committees and a civil society activist; Aed Yaghi, head of the Medical Relief Society; Aed Abu Ramadan, head of the Gaza Chamber of Commerce; Jabr al-Daour, president of Palestine University; Bashir al-Rais, an engineering consultant; Omar Shomali, head of Palestinian Telecommunications in Gaza; Ali Barhoum, an engineer and consultant at Rafah municipality, and lawyer Hanaa Terzi.

A civil society source said there was broad agreement on these names so far, adding it was not yet known whether Israel had approved them. Changes could still be made if disputes emerge over any of the nominees.