Syria denies troops are heading to Yemen and Saudi Arabia
Yemeni officials claim 3,000 Syrian soldiers are arriving to fight Houthis, a move Damascus calls premature while it focuses on domestic reconstruction.
By Alina Carter ·
Regional military alliances are shifting as Saudi Arabia seeks ground forces to counter the Houthi offensive. Yemeni officials report that thousands of Syrian troops are moving into the kingdom and across the border to join the fight.
Three Yemeni military sources and one defense official told AFP that hundreds of Syrian personnel have already crossed into Saudi Arabia and Yemen. A source from the Presidential Leadership Council said Syria will send approximately 3,000 troops to the Saudi-led coalition. The source noted that the Syrian and Saudi sides agreed to this deployment to combat the Houthis.
The Syrian government rejected the report. A diplomatic source told state news agency SANA that the deployment reports are unfounded at this time. The source stated that Syria is currently concentrating on domestic matters.
Yemeni sources linked the agreement to a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Riyadh earlier this week. The two nations signed cooperation agreements, including a defense pact, during the visit. One military official said Syrian troops already on the Yemeni side of the border are directing drone operations against the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia has been seeking international support as it faces daily attacks from the Houthi group. The Houthis recently seized control of stretches of the Red Sea coastline from the Riyadh-backed government. Tensions escalated after a truce collapsed over the summer, leading to deadly strikes that closed Riyadh's airport for two weeks.
Even while denying a full deployment, the Syrian source described the current cooperation as focused on training and capability building. The source said Saudi officials would begin visiting Syria next month for coordination. The cooperation could expand into a mutual defense agreement or Syrian membership in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
Separate reports from Reuters indicated that Syria has been providing military advice and training to Saudi Arabia. A senior US official said Syrian advisers are helping Saudi and Yemeni units inside the kingdom improve combat effectiveness. A senior Syrian diplomat called suggestions of deployment premature, noting that the defense deal signed on Wednesday includes advisory support and expertise exchange.
A Yemeni Defense Ministry source said the first phase of the plan involves 3,000 Syrian fighters, including officers and experts. The agreement provides for more than 10,000 fighters in later stages. Technical teams from both defense ministries are in Riyadh finalizing arrangements under a signed legal framework.
If confirmed, these would be the first foreign troops on the ground in Yemen since the conflict reignited over the summer. Egypt has pledged military help if requested, and France has deployed soldiers to guard the Yanbu oil terminal. The UK announced in October that it would deploy fighter planes to aid the kingdom.
The fighting has intensified since the 2022 truce collapsed. The Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and seized the entire Red Sea coast. The United Nations reports that more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed. Yemen has been at war since 2014, when the Houthis captured the capital.
