Syria has not changed the clock for winter. The country stays on summer time all year, which is UTC+3. Lebanon, on the other hand, has moved to winter time, which is UTC+2. This creates a simple, important difference for travelers: Syria is one hour ahead of Lebanon during the winter months.
What does this mean in daily life? If it is 10:00 in Damascus, it is 9:00 in Beirut at the same moment. This small gap can affect many plans. It can decide whether you catch your flight, meet your driver on time, or arrive at a tour when everyone else is already there. To avoid confusion, always think about which city the time refers to before you agree on a pickup or book a service.
Your phone should handle most of this automatically. If you keep “Automatic date & time” turned on, your device will show the correct local time when you are in each country. In Syria it will show UTC+3. In Lebanon it will show UTC+2 during winter. If you ever changed your phone’s time by hand, switch it back to automatic so that alarms, calendar reminders, and travel apps work correctly.
All tickets and schedules use local time. A flight listed as 10:00 from Damascus really means 10:00 in Damascus, not Beirut time. The same is true for buses, hotel check-ins, and tour departures. If you are crossing the border, remember the one-hour gap when you plan how long you need to get to the airport or to a meeting point.
It helps to write times clearly when you speak with others. Say “10:00 Damascus time (UTC+3)” or “9:00 Beirut time (UTC+2).” This simple habit removes guesswork for drivers, guides, and friends. If you are sending a calendar invite, choose the correct city as the event location so that everyone sees the right time on their own devices.
To sum up, Syria keeps summer time all year and does not “fall back” in winter. Lebanon does change the clock and is one hour behind Syria during the winter season. Keep this one fact in mind—Syria +1 hour—and you will keep your flights, tours, calls, and border trips running smoothly.