Adib Shishakli
Saudi Arabia supported the coup in Syria by Adib Shishakli in December 1950. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia and Syria were in rival camps in the 1950s and 1960s, largely because of the policies of Egypt's leader Gamal Nasser and the Cold War. Syria supported Nasser's policies and was the major Arab ally of the USSR, while Saudi Arabia was among the opponents of Nasser's policies and was close to the United States. After the Baath party came to power in Syria in 1963, Syria's diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia again became tense. A left-wing faction of the Baath Party, called the neo-Baath, led by Salah Jadid took over the government on 23 February 1966, and declared war against monarchist nations, including Saudi Arabia. On 3 May 1966, King Faisal cancelled all trade agreements with Syria.