Syria is carefully considering providing military assistance to key ally Saudi Arabia amid an escalating war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, a U.S. official and a Syrian military official briefed on the matter said.
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.
The U.S. official said Saudi Arabia had requested that Syria deploy forces to fight the Houthis - an assertion denied by the Syrian president's media adviser, Ahmad Zaidan.
In response to a request for comment to the Syrian foreign ministry, 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 governing relations between our two brotherly countries,” the diplomat said in a statement.
The Saudi government media office and Yemen's information minister did not respond to requests for comment.
Saudi Arabia has been requesting assistance far and wide, from the U.S. to Europe and the Middle East, for both defensive and offensive support in a renewed war against the group that follows weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa made a public visit to Riyadh on Tuesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS. He discussed potential Syrian military assistance for the kingdom, among other matters, the U.S. official said.
A conflict between that army and the Houthis, who are also adherents of an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, could have divisive religious undertones that the Syrian leadership and its Western partners want to avoid, the U.S. official said.
It is for this reason that it previously rejected a U.S. request to help fight Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Involvement in a battle against the Iran-backed Houthis could also be viewed as a hostile act by Iran and its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq, with which the Syrian rebels-turned-rulers have a history of conflict.
Sharaa is keen to show the country's support for Saudi Arabia and the crown prince, who played a decisive role helping the former jihadist gain international legitimacy, including by brokering a May 2025 meeting between Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Saudi Arabia has also provided financial assistance to Syria, and a Syrian show of support could result in that increasing, the U.S. official said.
“A new Syria sending defensive personnel of a very small number to the most holy places in the Islamic world, alongside technical support to neutralise incoming drones, would be tremendously and positively symbolic,” said H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
“But anything beyond, particularly in terms of Syrian boots on the ground, I think would be a wholly different proposition, and one I think Damascus would avoid, given the priorities they need to focus on in Syria,” he said.
A new artificial intelligence data centre in Armenia could be used for Western intelligence purposes, including against Russia, according to Russia...
Syria is carefully considering providing...
Scientists, astronauts and space industry leaders gathered in Antalya, Türkiye, on Thursday for the fourth day of the 77th International ...
Russia struck Ukraine overnight in one of the biggest attacks of the conflict, killing at least 19 people, Kyiv's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. Around 70 missiles were fired at Ukraine during the attack, as well as drones, the Ministry said.
The Saudi-led coalition says it has carried out a series of military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen after attacks on two Saudi airports left three people dead and dozens injured.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
An investigation into August Hanning, the former head of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND), has no connection to Azerbaijan, informed sources have told AnewZ.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
The European Parliament has adopted a resolution condemning Georgian Dream’s attempt to ban opposition parties and calling for targeted sanctions against senior Georgian officials.
Iran is reviewing a U.S. response to Tehran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying a reply could come within days.
Central Asian countries have agreed on water withdrawal limits and reservoir operating plans for the 2026-2027 non-growing season, with inflows into Kazakhstan’s Shardara Reservoir -- a crucial water source for agriculture --expected to reach around 10 billion cubic metres.
Tajikistan has begun the process of leaving the International Criminal Court, citing what it calls growing politicisation and bias in the court’s work.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 8 October 2026. These are the top five stories from the region.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment