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

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-allied 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.

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 defence agreement or Syria joining the Mecca Pact, depending on the shared interests of both countries, ​the source said. The Mecca Pact is a defence 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 defence 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.