The assassination of the Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri , an ally of Saudi Arabia , in Beirut on 14 February 2005 was detrimental to the relations . The Israel-Lebanon war in 2006 further damaged the relations since Syria overtly advocated Hezbollah . Relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria began to become strained in August 2008 when Saudi Arabian ambassador was called back to Riyadh and then , withdrawn in protest over Syrian forces ' crackdown on anti-government demonstrators . In addition , King Abdullah boycotted the Arab League 's summit held in Damascus in 2008
assassination
Assassination of Rafic Hariri
Saudi Arabia–Syria relations