Syria denies sending troops to Yemen, says military deal with Saudi Arabia excludes deployment

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said Monday that his country has not deployed troops to Yemen and has no immediate plans to do so, stressing that a military cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia does not include sending Syrian forces to the war-torn country, Anadolu reports.

Speaking at a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi at Tishreen Palace in Damascus, Shaibani said any Syrian military deployment abroad would be publicly announced rather than carried out secretly.

“There is no deployment of Syrian forces in Yemen, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future,” he said.

Shaibani also reaffirmed Syria’s support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government and condemned threats by the Houthi group against Saudi Arabia.

He expressed hope that Yemen will regain stability and that the suffering of its people would end, as Syria seeks to recover from years of conflict.

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The minister stressed that Damascus remains focused on reconstruction, facilitating the return of refugees and rebuilding infrastructure destroyed during the war.

His remarks came amid reports that Syria is preparing to send troops to Saudi Arabia and Yemen to support operations against the Houthis.

On Saturday, a Syrian diplomatic source told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) that military agreements with Saudi Arabia are limited to training, exchanging expertise and military consultations, dismissing reports of Syrian troop deployments to Yemen.

The source said Saudi coordination visits to Syria will begin in December, adding that military cooperation “could eventually lead to a mutual defense agreement or to Syria joining the Mecca Defense Alliance, depending on shared interests.”

The Mecca Defense Alliance comprises Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.

On Nov. 4, Syria’s Foreign Ministry announced that Damascus and Riyadh signed a military cooperation agreement during Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s visit to the Saudi capital, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

​​​​​​​On Oct. 5, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan held an emergency meeting in Riyadh to discuss threats facing the kingdom and announced the appointment of the alliance’s first secretary-general, according to a joint statement.

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