Damascus is considering ways to support Riyadh in its campaign against Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reported, citing a U.S. official and a Syrian military official briefed on the discussions.
Options under discussion include defensive assistance to protect Saudi Arabia from attacks and deploying Syrian forces to support Yemeni units aligned with the government. A U.S. source told Reuters that Riyadh had asked Damascus to send troops. No decision has been made, and the scale of any possible role remains unclear.
A Syrian diplomat told Reuters that the country stands with Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks, but that the government’s priority is domestic issues, including recovery after the civil war. The diplomat said any military cooperation or exchange of expertise would take place only through official channels and under bilateral agreements. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh the previous day. The U.S. source said they discussed possible assistance.
The campaign in Yemen has intensified after the government announced a ground operation against the Houthis, who had earlier taken areas near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Government forces said they had advanced with Saudi air support. The Houthis deny losing ground, leaving the extent of changes on the battlefield unclear.
Saudi authorities said Houthi missile attacks on airports had killed three people over the previous two days. The Saudi-led coalition said it had destroyed a ballistic missile launcher in Sanaa that was used to attack the kingdom’s capital. A Houthi spokesman claimed Saudi Arabia had conducted 156 airstrikes and missile launches in 24 hours and 1,798 air and missile attacks since the war began. Those figures are claims by parties to the conflict and have not been independently verified. Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and carries about 12% of global trade.