Syria has no plans to send troops to fight Houthis in Yemen 'in near future'

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani said on Monday his country has no plans in the near future to send troops to Yemen to fight the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in defence of Saudi Arabia.

He was speaking at a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Damascus, days after Syria and Saudi Arabia signed defence agreements to boost military co-operation.

“This agreement is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and there is no agreement with the legitimate Yemeni government to deploy troops in Yemen,” Mr Al Shibani said. “There is no deployment of troops in Yemen, nor is there even a plan to do so in the near future.

“Our agreement today is with Saudi Arabia. Any military plan involving operations beyond our borders would certainly be announced and discussed publicly. It would not be carried out in secret.”

Syrian ​President ⁠Ahmad Al Shara met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh last Wednesday, on his second visit to the kingdom in weeks. The two men witnessed the signing of several agreements covering military co-operation, energy, infrastructure and other fields.

The visit came days after the Syrian Foreign Minister said in Bahrain during the Manama Dialogue forum that Damascus was holding negotiations on joining the Makkah Defence Alliance that includes Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated drone and missile attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in recent weeks, targeting airports, oil facilities and military sites.

“We certainly support the legitimate government in Yemen and condemn the threats posed by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia,” Mr Al Shibani said on Monday. “These attacks are unjustified and unlawful, and we stand wholeheartedly alongside Saudi Arabia in confronting these challenges and threats.

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Syria in talks to join Saudi Arabia’s Makkah defence pact

“Today, we are keen to establish a regional security and defence framework that safeguards the region’s security, because no single country can ensure security and stability on its own. There must be a comprehensive approach to how we protect our people and our borders against the challenges we face,” he added.

The Syrian official clarified that discussions with Saudi Arabia cover all fields. “Progress has been made on the economic and investment fronts, and these discussions resulted in a military co-operation agreement last week,” he said.

“We need this agreement more than anything else. Today, we are rebuilding the Syrian army and Syrian institutions, both civilian and military. Therefore, we need Saudi Arabia’s expertise to contribute to building Syria’s capabilities and to establish co-operation between us. This includes defence industries, academic and technical training, skills development and benefiting from the expertise available in Saudi Arabia.”

On Saturday, a Syrian diplomatic source told state media that current military agreements with Saudi Arabia “fall within co-operation in training, expertise exchange and military consultations, serving the national interests of both countries”.

The source added that the agreements with Saudi Arabia focus on training military forces and building their capabilities, with co-ordination visits from Saudi Arabia to Syria set to begin next month. He affirmed reports about sending Syrian military forces to Yemen, at present, have “no basis in truth”.

Last month, Egypt's parliament authorised President Abdel Fattah El Sisi to support Saudi Arabia militarily, the House of Representatives announced in a statement, clearing the last constitutional hurdle to a possible deployment of assets against the Houthis.

According to security sources in Cairo, Egypt's plan mainly involves deploying anti-aircraft batteries, medium-to-short anti-aircraft systems suites for intercepting low flying missiles and drones, and Egyptian-manufactured surface-to-surface missiles. The army spokesman did not immediately respond to a question from The National about the plan.