Syria has no plans to send troops to Yemen, a Syrian diplomatic source told the state news agency SANA on Saturday, dismissing reports of a possible deployment even as military cooperation with Saudi Arabia deepens.
The denial follows a Reuters report on Friday, citing two Syrian military sources and a senior US official, that Damascus had sent a limited number of military personnel to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks to advise and train Saudi forces as the kingdom faces attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis.
According to the SANA source, the cooperation so far is focused on training forces, building their capabilities and exchanging military expertise. Coordination visits by Saudi officials to Syria are due to begin next month, and the partnership could eventually develop into a mutual defence agreement or see Syria join the Mecca Pact, the source said. The denial and the description of the cooperation rest on a single unnamed diplomatic source speaking to the state news agency, and have not been independently confirmed.
Saudi Arabia has been locked in worsening hostilities with the Houthis since July, when the wider conflict in the Middle East reignited the war in Yemen, and Riyadh has since sought defensive and offensive support from a range of allies.
The two countries signed a 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”.
The Mecca Pact, signed in Mecca in August by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, is a defence agreement that could anchor a wider regional security arrangement. Turkey ratified the pact on Thursday, clearing the way for Ankara to provide military support to Riyadh.
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 — a realignment that has redrawn the region’s alliances as the war with the Houthis intensifies.
Sources: Reuters, “Syria denies plans to send troops to Yemen as Saudi military ties deepen”, https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/syria-denies-plans-send-troops-yemen-saudi-military-ties-deepen-2026-11-07/
