Newsletters
Syria’s military cooperation with Saudi Arabia could evolve into a mutual defense agreement or Syria joining the Mecca pact, a Syrian diplomatic source told state news agency SANA, while denying reports that Damascus is sending troops to Yemen.
The cooperation "could eventually develop into a joint defense agreement or Syria’s accession to the Mecca alliance, as shared interests require," the unnamed source said.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement (MJDA) brings together Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Current military agreements with Saudi Arabia fall within cooperation on training, exchange of expertise and military advisory support "in a way that serves the national interests of both countries," the source said.
The deal focuses on training Syrian military forces and building their capabilities, with Saudi coordination visits to Syria set to begin next month, the source said, without giving dates or participants.
"Talk of sending Syrian military forces to Yemen at this time is baseless," the source said, adding that Syria’s priorities are consolidating internal security, reconstruction and economic recovery.
The remarks came after media reports said Syria had sent military personnel to Saudi Arabia to provide advice and training, including to Saudi and Yemeni units inside Saudi Arabia. Thousands of Syrian troops are set to deploy to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with some already on the ground, multiple Yemeni officials told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
A source from the Presidential Leadership Council, Yemen's top governing body, told AFP that Syria would send as many as 3,000 troops to help fend off the Houthis.
Those already stationed on the Yemeni side of the border at the moment are leading drone operations against the Houthis in the area, one of the military officials told AFP.
According to the Yemeni defense ministry source who spoke to AFP, technical teams from the Syrian and Saudi defense ministries are currently in Riyadh putting the final touches on arrangements for Syrian forces to take part in operations against the Houthi militias.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry announced on Nov. 4 that the two countries' defense ministries signed a military cooperation agreement during President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said "discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance" at the Manama Dialogue 2026, describing Damascus as an "integral" part of regional security and saying the region needs joint deterrence and defense systems "more than ever."
The talks cover the Mecca pact or other security systems serving the same purpose.
Shaibani reaffirmed support for Yemen’s government in restoring its sovereignty and said Israel had carried out more than 1,000 attacks on Syria in less than two years, killing dozens.
"How can calls for border control and placing weapons exclusively under state control be justified while Syrian sovereignty is violated and targeted on a daily basis?" he asked.
He called for a return to the lines in place before Dec. 8, 2024, and implementation of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement, stressing that the Golan Heights is Syrian territory under U.N. Security Council Resolution 497.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
