SAUDI ARABIA is in talks to reopen its embassy in Syria for the first time in a decade, state television in the kingdom reported late on Thursday.

The talks represents another step towards improving long-standing hostilities among Arab countries and follows the success of the Chinese-mediated talks in Beijing that saw Saudi Arabia and Iran agree to reopen embassies in each others’ nations after years of tensions. 

The move came hours before the United States launched a missile attack in Syria in retaliation over the killing of a US contractor by a suspected Iranian drone.

Saudi Arabian state television aired a report late on Thursday, quoting an anonymous official in the country’s Foreign Ministry, acknowledging the high-level diplomatic talks between the kingdom and Damascus.

“A source revealed to [Riyadh-based news channel] Al-Ekhbariyah that ongoing discussions have begun with the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commenting on what was circulated by some international media,” an anchor said on air. 

“Discussions are underway between officials in the kingdom and their counterparts in Syria about resuming the provision of consular services.”

The Wall Street Journal, quoting anonymous Saudi and Syrian officials, later attributed the talks to reopen the countries’ embassies to mediation by Russia.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, which the Kremlin called “the first high-level bilateral contact since the establishment of diplomatic relations” between the nations. 

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister has acknowledged publicly that there is a growing consensus in the region for restoring Syria’s membership of the Arab League which had been suspended in 2011 when the civil war in the country began. 

But the Pentagon confirmed that the US launched “precision air strikes” into Syria late on Thursday.

This came after a contractor was killed and five US service members and one other contractor were wounded when a suspected Iranian drone struck a facility on a military base in north-east Syria.

Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said: “The air strikes were conducted in response to today’s attack as well as a series of recent attacks against coalition forces in Syria” by groups affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard.

Iran-backed militia groups and Syrian forces control the area, which has also seen air strikes by Israel in recent months allegedly targeting Iranian supply routes.

There was no immediate reaction from Iran over the strikes, which come at the beginning of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.