Syria denies plans to send troops to Yemen as Saudi military ties deepen

Jerusalem Post/Middle East

Saudi Arabia has been locked in worsening hostilities with the Iran-backed Houthis since July, when the wider conflict in the Middle East reignited the Yemen war.

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A fighter loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognised government fires a machine gun balanced on a motorcycle at a position along the frontlines against the Houthis around Mount al-Midan in Yemen's western Taiz province on October 26, 2026. (photo credit: Ahmad AL-BASHA / AFP via Getty Images)ByREUTERSNOVEMBER 7, 2026 19:13

Syria has no plans to send troops to Yemen, a Syrian diplomatic source told state news agency SANA, dismissing reports of a possible deployment while adding that military cooperation with Saudi Arabia could eventually expand.

Saudi Arabia has been locked in worsening hostilities with the Iran-backed Houthis since July, when the wider conflict in the Middle East reignited the Yemen war, and Riyadh has since sought both defensive and offensive support from a range of allies.

Reuters reported on Friday, citing two Syrian military sources and a senior US official, that Syria had sent a limited number of military personnel to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to provide military advice and training as the kingdom faces attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.

Syria weighs joining Mecca defense pact

The source told SANA that the current military cooperation focused on training forces, building their capabilities and exchanging military expertise. Coordination visits by Saudi officials to Syria are set to begin next month, with the cooperation potentially developing into a mutual defense agreement or Syria joining the Mecca Pact, depending on the shared interests of both countries, the source said.

The Mecca Pact is a defense agreement signed in Mecca in August by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey. Turkey ratified the pact on Thursday, clearing the way for Ankara to provide military support to Riyadh.

Syria and Saudi Arabia signed the defense cooperation deal on Wednesday during a visit to Riyadh by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa for his second meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in less than a month. A senior Syrian diplomat described the agreement as "a broad framework for military cooperation."

Syria has emerged as a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the United States since rebels led by Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad, an ally of Iran, in 2024.

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