Syria weighs sending troops to Yemen in support of Saudi-backed troops fighting Houthis

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is considering whether to send troops to Yemen to assist the Saudi-backed forces fighting against the Houthi terrorists, according to several reports.

A Reuters report on Wednesday cited a U.S. official and a Syrian defense official who said Syria could send some of its hardened troops, who have gathered years of battle experience fighting against Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies, close allies of the Yemeni Houthis.

Three U.S. officials confirmed to Axios that Sharaa is “seriously” considering sending troops, with one estimating it is “highly likely” he will accept the Saudi request.

The reports of a Syrian intervention are fueling concerns that the newly escalated fighting in Yemen could cause another regional conflagration, after Turkey and Pakistan already announced they are sending military support to Saudi Arabia, though only fulfilling defensive roles.

The conflict continued escalating these last few days after the Saudi-backed coalition launched a broad-scale counteroffensive initially aimed at recapturing the port of Mokha, the nearby coastal plain, and the adjacent Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh. https://t.co/TblEWakIXQ

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) October 6, 2026

However, Saudi and Yemeni government officials stressed that the overall goal is to end the decades-long Houthi insurrection and restore government control over the country.

Over the past days, Houthi strikes killed one person at Riyadh airport and two others in Abha airport. On Thursday, loud booms were reported in the capital Riyadh again, though the public received no early warning alerts. The Houthis said they attacked King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with a ballistic missile.

Syrian officials have denied the reports that Damascus could send troops.

A diplomat told Reuters that Syria stands with Saudi Arabia and should the kingdom “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.”

On Wednesday, Syrian Presidency Media Adviser Ahmad Muwaffaq Zaidan wrote on 𝕏 that the reports are “a lie and [have] no basis in truth,” though he added that “The security of Saudi Arabia is that of the Gulf and of Syria, and we stand with our people in the land of the Two Holy Mosques with all strength and resolve.”

U.S. officials told Axios that the White House is involved in the discussions between Damascus and Riyadh, with the president not being opposed in principle.

An official noted that the Syrian support could boost Saudi troops without the U.S. having to get involved. U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly rebuffed several calls for military support from Saudi Arabia amid the lightning offensive by the Houthis last month.

A source told Axios that the Syrian military, which is still in the process of rebuilding itself, could send between 10,000–20,000 troops to Yemen, and that units being considered include the 84th Division that is based in southern Syria near Suwayda.

This could particularly fuel concerns over a new sectarian conflict that could escalate further. The division includes thousands of Islamist fighters who came to Syria during the civil war from outside the country to fight against the Assad regime under the umbrella of the HTS rebel group, led by today’s self-declared president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, known at the time as Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

The fighters’ ideology is extremely hostile toward other Muslim streams, particularly Shiites, while the Houthis are a movement mainly based on Yemen’s Zaydi Shiite minority. They are believed to have been key actors in several attacks on Syrian minorities, including Druze and Christians.

However, their deployment to Yemen could help Sharaa get rid of internal critics of his relatively moderate and pro-Western course while strengthening ties with the powerful Saudi kingdom, which could promise financial help for the rebuilding effort in return.

Meanwhile, some reports have claimed that a few thousands thousand Syrians are already fighting in Yemen. Israel’s i24 News reported that thousands are already on the ground, while noting that Saudi Arabia wants to ensure that the Syrian troops won’t include any “foreign fighters”.

On the other hand, Yemeni freelance journalist Ali al-Sakani asserted on 𝕏: “To my knowledge, No Syrian fighters in Yemen.”