Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Reuters)
Syria is looking at several options, from providing defensive support and expertise to help Saudi Arabia counter Houthi missile and drone attacks, to potentially sending Syrian troops to fight alongside Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, according to Reuters.
Saudi Arabia has emerged as an important political and economic partner for Syria as the new government tries to rebuild the country after 14 years of civil war. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on October 6. However, the Syrian government has not publicly confirmed that it has agreed to send troops to Yemen.
The US official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had asked Syria to deploy forces to fight the Houthis. A Syrian diplomat told Reuters that Damascus “stood firmly with Saudi Arabia” against Houthi attacks but stressed that Syria’s priority remained its domestic recovery after years of war. The diplomat said any military cooperation or exchange of expertise with Saudi Arabia would take place “exclusively through official channels” and under existing bilateral agreements. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional developments and ways to expand cooperation between the two countries, according to Syria’s state news agency SANA.