Analysis | Syria’s hopes of rebuilding after quake grow dim as civil war enters 13th year

Oil-rich Arab countries have been stepping up efforts to normalise ties with the Assad government, but the ongoing political paralysis is likely holding them back from pumping billions of dollars for reconstruction into Syria

The recent deadly earthquake in Turkey and Syria which caused billions of dollars in damage has boosted the prospects of Syria’s once widely shunned president’s return to the Arab fold, but appears unlikely to jump-start large-scale reconstruction in the war-ravaged country.

As Syria’s conflict enters its 13th year on March 13, President Bashar Assad’s government still refuses to make concessions to his domestic opponents, rejecting long-standing demands by the United States and its allies as a political solution remains elusive.

Oil-rich Gulf Arab countries have been stepping up efforts to normalize ties with the Assad government, but analysts say the ongoing political paralysis is likely holding them back from pumping billions of dollars for reconstruction into Syria.

The February 6, earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria, killing more than 50,000 people, including about 6,000 in Syria, exacerbated the destruction caused by Syria's 12-year conflict which has killed nearly half a million people.

The World Bank estimated in an initial post-earthquake assessment that the disaster had caused $5.1 billion worth of physical damage across both government- and rebel-held Syria. It estimated some $226 billion in losses — including economic and physical damage — during the first four years of the war in 2016, about four times Syria’s 2010 gross domestic product.

Since the balance of power shifted in Mr. Assad’s favor over the past few years, the government has rebuilt small parts of the country with the help of its allies. These include a section of the centuries-old market in the northern city of Aleppo and some historic mosques in Aleppo and the central city of Homs. However, entire cities, towns and villages remain in ruins, while the conflict has caused lasting damage to the country's electric, transportation and health systems.

The quake worsened the situation.