Syria weighs troop deployment to aid Saudi-backed forces in Yemen

Shafaq News- Damascus

Syria is carefully considering providing military assistance to key ally Saudi Arabia amid an escalating war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a US official and a Syrian military official.

Options being considered include defensive aid to protect the kingdom from attacks, or deployment of forces in an offensive capacity to help Saudi-backed Yemeni troops fight the Houthis, the sources said.

According to the report, a Syrian diplomat said Syria stood firmly with Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks but that the government's primary focus was on domestic priorities such as recovery from the country's civil war. "Should Saudi Arabia request any military cooperation or exchange of expertise, this would take place exclusively through official channels and within the framework of the bilateral agreements.”

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa made a public visit to Riyadh on Tuesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “He discussed potential Syrian military assistance for the kingdom, among other matters,” the US official said.

Footage broadcast by Syrian state media showed that he was escorted back to his plane by Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, a brother of the crown prince who has overseen the Yemen file. 

On Oct. 4, Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and supreme commander of the armed forces, announced the start of military operations to restore government authority across the country. He later named the campaign “Dawn of Yemen.”