Syria Prepares 10,000 Strong Force for Yemen War Despite Denials
Yemeni officials say thousands of Syrian troops are moving into position to fight Houthis, a move Damascus claims is still in the advisory phase.
By Amir Navarro ·
More than 10,000 Syrian fighters are slated for deployment to Yemen under a multi-phase agreement, according to sources close to the Yemeni defense ministry. The initial stage of the plan involves 3,000 personnel, including officers and experts, some of whom are already in the field. This contingent would make Syrians the first foreign ground forces in the Yemen conflict since the summer truce collapsed.
The deployment follows a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to Riyadh this week, during which the two nations signed cooperation agreements, including a defense pact. A source from the Presidential Leadership Council, Yemen's top governing body, stated that Syria would send around 3,000 troops to join the Saudi-led coalition. The source noted that the Syrian and Saudi sides agreed to these numbers to combat the Houthis. Three separate Yemeni military sources and a defense official confirmed that hundreds of Syrian personnel have already crossed into both Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Damascus has publicly rejected the narrative of an immediate combat role. A Syrian diplomatic source told the state news agency SANA that reports of troop movements at this time are entirely unfounded. The source emphasized that the country is currently concentrating on domestic matters. A senior Syrian diplomat described the current defense cooperation deal, signed on Wednesday, as specifically including advisory support, training, and the exchange of expertise. The diplomat added that any suggestion of military deployments at this stage is premature.
Despite the official denial, Yemeni sources indicate that operational activities have begun. One military official said that Syrians already positioned on the Yemeni side of the border are directing drone operations against the Houthis. A senior US official told Reuters on Friday that Syria has been providing Riyadh with military advice and training. The US official specified that Syrian advisers and training teams are helping Saudi and Yemeni units inside the kingdom improve their combat effectiveness. A senior Saudi official confirmed that joint exercises are underway, noting that the expertise sharing is mainly aimed at restructuring Syrian forces while also leveraging their combat experience against militias.
The stakes for the region are high as the Houthis continue to escalate hostilities. The group recently took over stretches of the Red Sea coastline from the Riyadh-backed government. Houthi attacks intensified after a truce broke down over the summer, closing Riyadh's airport for two weeks following deadly strikes. These disruptions endanger the kingdom's economic diversification plans. The Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, struck its ships, territory, and oil facilities, and seized Yemen's entire Red Sea coast. According to the United Nations, more than 1,600 people have been killed and over 300,000 displaced since the fighting resumed.
Saudi Arabia, a major supporter of Syria's post-Assad government, has been lobbying allies for assistance. Technical teams from the two defense ministries are currently in Riyadh finalizing arrangements under a signed legal framework. If the plan proceeds as outlined, the Syrian contribution will expand in later stages to the total figure of more than 10,000 fighters. Visits by Saudi officials to Syria for coordination are expected to start next month. The cooperation could eventually grow into a mutual defense agreement or Syrian membership in the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement.
The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is a NATO-style pact binding Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, signed in August. The pact declares an attack on one member an attack on all. Last week, Syria's top diplomat said publicly that Damascus was weighing whether to join this alliance. Other nations have also moved to support the kingdom. Egypt's parliament has approved defensive military support for Saudi Arabia if requested. France has deployed soldiers to guard Saudi Arabia's Yanbu oil terminal, a move announced by President Emmanuel Macron last month. The UK announced in October that it would deploy fighter planes to aid the kingdom.
The Syrian army is a patchwork of mostly Islamist groups, including foreign jihadists, that toppled Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Yemen has been at war since 2014, when the Houthis captured the capital. The Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict a year later in support of the government. The current escalation marks a new phase in that long-running conflict, with the introduction of Syrian ground forces potentially altering the balance of power on the ground.
