Syria denies sending troops to Yemen amid deployment reports

Damascus has denied sending Syrian troops to Yemen, responding to reports that thousands of soldiers were being deployed to fight against the Houthis. Syrian officials stated that such claims are baseless, and that current military cooperation with Saudi Arabia is limited to training, exchanging expertise, and military consultations.

A Syrian diplomatic source told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Saturday that military cooperation between Damascus and Riyadh could, in the future, develop into a joint defense agreement or Syria joining the Mecca Defense Agreement.

The denial came after Agence France-Presse quoted unnamed Yemeni officials as saying that thousands of Syrian soldiers would be deployed in Yemen, with some already having arrived, and that hundreds of Syrian troops were present on the Yemeni border.

According to the agency, three military sources and officials from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council and Ministry of Defense said that thousands more Syrian troops would be deployed to assist in fighting the Houthis.