Syria foreign minister denies agreement to send troops to Yemen

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani (R) holds a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (L) following the third meeting of the Jordanian-Syrian Higher Coordination Council in Damascus, Syria, on November 9, 2026. [Izz Aldien Alqasem – Anadolu Agency]

Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani denied reports on Monday that Syria had reached an agreement with Saudi Arabia to deploy thousands of Syrian fighters to Yemen, saying the recently announced military cooperation agreement focuses exclusively on training and exchanging expertise.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, al-Shaibani questioned the sources cited by Reuters in its reporting on the alleged deployment.

He challenged the agency’s reliance on unnamed sources, saying their identities and credibility were unclear.

Al-Shaibani emphasised that Syria supports regional defence cooperation aimed at strengthening collective security.

“We are keen for the region to have a defensive security organization that preserves the security of the region,” he said, referring to the military cooperation agreement signed with Saudi Arabia the previous week.

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The agreement was announced during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Arabia last Wednesday, his second visit to the kingdom in less than a month, during which he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Al-Shaibani said the agreement was particularly important for Syria as the country works to rebuild its armed forces and civilian and military institutions.

“We need this agreement more than any other side needs it. Today we are rebuilding the Syrian army and rebuilding civil and military institutions, and therefore we need Saudi expertise to contribute to building Syrian capabilities,” he said.

The foreign minister stressed that the agreement was strictly between Syria and Saudi Arabia and did not involve any arrangement with Yemen’s internationally recognized government to deploy Syrian forces.

He reiterated that no agreement had been reached to send Syrian troops to Yemen.

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