DUBAI — Syria will send about 3,000 troops to join the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen’s Houthis, and hundreds are already deployed on both sides of the Saudi-Yemeni border, Yemeni officials told AFP, The Times of Israel reported. The officials spoke anonymously, and the claim is unconfirmed.
Damascus denied it. A Syrian diplomatic source told the state news agency SANA that reports Syria had sent troops “at this time are entirely unfounded,” and that Syria has no plans to send troops to Yemen, Reuters reported on Nov. 7.
Related: Syria and Saudi Arabia Sign Defense Deal With $403 Million in Reconstruction Loans.
What each side says
The Yemeni sources told AFP the arrangement was approved during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh this week, and that Syrians already on the Yemeni side of the border are leading drone operations against the Houthis.
Reuters reported on Friday, citing two Syrian military sources and a senior U.S. official, that Syria had sent a limited number of military personnel to Saudi Arabia to give advice and training. The two Syrian sources said scores had gone in recent weeks and that their mandate could be broader, The Times of Israel reported.
The defense deal
Syria and Saudi Arabia signed a defense cooperation agreement on Wednesday during al-Sharaa’s second meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in less than a month, Reuters said. A senior Syrian diplomat called it “a broad framework for military cooperation.”
The SANA source said current cooperation focuses on training and exchanging expertise, that Saudi coordination visits to Syria begin next month, and that ties could grow into a mutual defense agreement or Syria joining the Mecca Pact, Reuters reported. The pact was signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, and Turkey ratified it on Thursday.
Why it matters
Saudi Arabia has been under daily Houthi fire since a truce collapsed in July, The Times of Israel reported. Combat troops from Syria would mark a major shift for a country whose post-Assad government Riyadh backs, but for now the only firm public detail is a training role. More coverage is in World News.
Sources
- The Times of Israel (AFP): Damascus denies report Syria sending troops to Yemen and Saudi Arabia to fight Houthis
- Reuters via Yahoo News: Syria denies plans to send troops to Yemen as Saudi military ties deepen
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