Direct flights from Syria to Saudi Arabia for pilgrims taking part in the annual hajj resumed on Tuesday, ending 12 years of isolation since the civil war began, a Syrian official told AFP. The move follows a slow rapprochement between the two governments that saw diplomatic relations restored last year. A flight carrying 270 Syrian pilgrims left Damascus for Jeddah with more flights expected in the coming days, transport ministry official Suleiman Khalil said. It was a first after “all (passenger) flights between the two countries were halted in 2012,” Khalil said. “This decision only applies…