A drone view of the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade of closure, with the aim of accelerating overland oil and gas exports and reviving bilateral trade amid shipping disruptions in the Gulf, in Nineveh province, Iraq, on April 20, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
A key border crossing between Iraq and Syria reopened on Monday (April 20, 2026) for the first time in more than a decade, with officials highlighting its potential for trade and oil exports. Syria touted the crossing as a safe overland route for oil exports and an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz at the focus of the Iran war.
The crossing — known as Rabia in Iraq and Yarubiyah in Syria — was closed after the Syrian civil war began in 2011. Then in 2014, militants from the Islamic State group seized the area. Iraqi Kurdish forces later retook it.
Published – April 21, 2026 06:47 am IST
