1 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Sep 2
Summary
5,000 oil trucks are now crossing Syria’s desert day and night toward the Mediterranean, positioning the country as an alternative route for Gulf crude.
The surge stems from wartime disruption to cargo traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, which has created urgent demand for bypass options outside the chokepoint.
Al-Qaryatayn has become a key corridor in that shift, with long truck convoys replacing seaborne transit through Hormuz.
For Syria, the rerouting is a strategic opening to advance its ambition of becoming a broader Middle East transit hub.