Newspaper: Syria, Saudi Arabia discuss deploying thousands of fighters to Yemen

A Syrian military delegation has discussed, in Saudi Arabia, deploying about 10,000 Syrian fighters, and possibly foreign combatants, to Yemen to fight the Houthi movement, Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported, citing Yemeni sources.

The delegation reportedly included Brigadier General Khaled Khattab, former commander of the Ansar al-Tawhid faction and head of the 82nd Division, and Brigadier General Haitham al-Ali, known as Abu Muslim, commander of the Third Corps and a former member of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

Reuters and Axios reported on 7 October that Riyadh and Damascus had discussed sending Syrian forces to Yemen. Axios estimated the potential deployment at 10,000 to 20,000 fighters, with the 84th and 90th divisions among the options.

However, Syrian presidential media adviser Ahmed Zaidan denied that Syria had received a Saudi request. A Syrian diplomat said any military cooperation would go through official channels and that domestic recovery remained a priority for Damascus.

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Al-Akhbar also reported, citing sources close to the Aden-based government, that dozens of Syrian drone trainers were stationed at sites in southern Saudi Arabia and Yemen, training members of the Nation’s Shield forces and the Giants Brigades.

Syrian drone operators had also established units within the Emergency Forces in Saudi Arabia, the newspaper said. Sources in Sanaa have alleged foreign involvement south of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, including a limited Pakistani presence.

A military source in Sanaa told the newspaper that any Syrian involvement would likely be unofficial, accusing the United States, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia of facilitating the transfer of militants as part of covert intelligence operations.

The newspaper also cited Sham TV reports that foreign fighters were being recruited with salaries and incentives, including opportunities to perform Hajj and Umrah, with their families to be brought over later.

Analysts warned that Uyghur, Uzbek, Tajik, Afghan, Chechen, Albanian and Arab fighters could be transferred to Yemen. They also raised concerns that the Tawhid Brigades and Salafi educational centres in southern Yemen, which sources accuse Riyadh of supporting, could be used to fuel sectarian conflict and undermine development.

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