Over the past week, a number of reports have indicated that Syria is sending forces to Saudi Arabia. The reports differ on the numbers involved. Reuters, the AFP, and now the Associated Press have all reported that Syria is sending forces to Saudi Arabia.
However, it’s not clear if these forces are to help Saudi Arabia with training and advice, or if they will be deployed to Yemen to fight the Houthis. Other questions remain, such as whether this is part of the Syrians also receiving training from Riyadh.
The latest report in the Associated Press says that “Syria is preparing to send fighters to Saudi Arabia to deploy along its border and potentially help it fight Iranian-backed rebels in neighboring Yemen, three officials with knowledge of the plans told The AP.” This report says that “Syrian military advisers have already deployed to Saudi Arabia,” but that they have not been sent to Yemen
The new report notes that “a Syrian official said that an initial force of about 600 Syrian special forces fighters is expected to be deployed to Saudi Arabia in the coming week…The official said that a Syrian delegation led by Khaled Khattab, commander of the 82nd Division, had recently made a two-week visit to Saudi Arabia.” There are already several dozen Syrians in Saudi Arabia and these are described as “advisors.”
The Syrian support for Saudi Arabia matters. This is because it increases the chance that Syrians will further integrate themselves into a Saudi-led regional order. This dovetails with the new pact that Saudi Arabia has signed with Pakistan and Turkey.
A net gain with Riyadh as Saudi Arabia becomes a leader
For Riyadh, this is a net gain because it wasn’t so long ago that Riyadh had very cold relations with Turkey. Today, much has changed. Saudi Arabia can take pride in being a leader in the region, among both Arab and Muslim countries. This is a historic role it has played.
The revival of Syria as a state is important to Riyadh. For many years, Syria was controlled by the Assad regime. That regime was close to Iran and backed Hezbollah. It was also very close to Russia. As such, the regime in Damascus operated outside the traditional Arab state system. It’s worth recalling some of the history here.
In the post-colonial Middle East that emerged since the 1940s, there have been several key changes in the region. For instance, Egypt's 1952 revolution eventually led to the emergence of the Arab nationalist Nasser government. In 1958, Egypt and Syria announced a merger as the United Arab Republic. When Egypt intervened in Yemen, the Yemeni forces it was backing also supported the UAR.
Meanwhile, as the Cold War took shape, the West backed the Baghdad Pact, which formed in 1955. This included Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, and the UK.
Turkey was a member of NATO. Pakistan remained close with the West and with China. Iraq left the group after a coup in 1959. What matters here for our purposes is understanding that in the 1950s and 1960s the regimes in Egypt and Syria were backed by the Soviets.
Nasser’s government inspired crises in Lebanon in 1958 and in Jordan between 1956 and 1958. It should be recalled that the US and the UK helped confront these crises, with American forces entering Lebanon and British paratroopers sent to Amman.
The Eisenhower administration also mobilized the US Navy. President Dwight Eisenhower ordered around 5,000 US Marines to land in Beirut in July 1958 to stabilize the pro-Western government.
Fast forward several decades and things began to change. Egypt switched sides from the Soviets to the Americans and signed a peace deal with Israel. The Islamic Revolution toppled the Shah. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to the US, Pakistan, Saudis, and others backing the mujahideen rebels.
Radicalization, political Islam led to groups like Al Qaeda
This also dovetailed with radicalization in the region and the rise of political Islam, and eventually Al Qaeda.
In 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. This led the US to deploy forces in Saudi Arabia, which in turn increased US bases in the Gulf: Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, and other places.
However, the shifts after the 1991 Gulf War weakened many of the historic Arab states. Iraq was weakened in the war and invaded by the US in 2003.
The Arab Spring took place in Tunisia and then spread to Libya, Egypt, Syria, and other places. Iranian-backed proxies such as the Houthis tried to take over Yemen. ISIS was fueled by the Syrian civil war and Iraqi insurgency.
Only in the last decade have things shifted back toward a re-emergence of Arab states. The Assad regime fell in 2024. Iraq defeated ISIS in 2017 and has now struggled with Iranian-backed militias. Egypt under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has tried to return to its historic role in the region.
Saudi Arabia’s role in Syria is an example of how Riyadh is reclaiming its role in the region and helping Arab states return to their former role. In terms of the historic role of these states, it is worth recalling that Damascus, Cairo, and Baghdad have been centers of Arab and Islamic culture and rule in the past.
It will take time for Syria to become a successful country again. Its work with Riyadh is one step on that path.
Follow us on GoogleSource: The Jerusalem Post · SETH J. FRANTZMAN
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