Current sectionMiddle East NewsThe Syrian president took part in the Visa test, ​making a card payment at a restaurant in Damascus. Lifting the 'last obstacle' would reconnect Syria with the global financial and economic system and boost investment, Syrian foreign minister saidShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeReuters06:58 AM • August 29 2026 IDTVisa and Mastercard carried out their first international card transactions in Syria on Wednesday, a major step in reconnecting the country with global payment networks days after Washington removed it from its state ‌sponsors of terrorism list.Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Middle EastSyriaAhmad al-SharaaCommentsYour Perspective Belongs HereWant to reply? Subscribe to join the conversationSUBSCRIBE Already signed up? Log inDisplay Name*Enter the commenter display nameCommentBy adding a comment, I agree to this site's terms and conditions Loading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesWest BankIDF VideoGaza Militias Iran RegimeNetanyahu CampaignOfer WinterSuper El NiñoPollHaQuizHaaretz PodcastIRGC Navy Says It Has 'Full Control' Over Strait of HormuzIsrael Election Could Swing Shekel by Up to 3 Percent, JPMorgan EstimatesHaredim Again Block Bnei Brak Neighborhood, Cutting Off Secular ResidentsIDF Says Three Palestinians Killed in Targeted Strike Near West Bank's JeninIsraeli Judoka Gefen Primo Wins Lausanne Grand SlamRemembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIAn Israeli Startup Is Reinventing Salmon Farming. It May Upend a Global IndustryHasan Piker Talks Hamas, anti-Zionism and Why Americans Are Fed Up With Israel'Israel Is Sending Militias to Commit War Crimes – and I Have to Protect Them'Israeli Court Acquits Man of Assaulting Nun in Jerusalem's Old CityBeing Israeli Abroad Has Become Embarrassing. You Don't Talk About ItPoll: Likud Sinks to 19 Seats as New Right-wing Party Falls Below Threshold