Syria Dispatches Military Advisers and Special Forces to Saudi Arabia

Damascus has dispatched military advisers to Saudi Arabia and will send 600 special forces personnel to the kingdom next week, according to Syrian officials speaking to news agencies. The military arrangement follows a high-level summit in Riyadh between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During the summit, Saudi Arabia pledged 403 million dollars in loans to assist Syria in rebuilding infrastructure damaged during thirteen years of civil war. Following the talks, Syria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates identified bilateral defense cooperation as the most notable agreement reached between the two governments.

A Syrian official told state news agency SANA that the deployed troops would operate strictly in a capacity of training, expertise exchange and military consultations. Damascus has denied reports that its personnel are directly participating in combat operations in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has fought Houthi forces since March 2015.

Saudi Arabia has faced repeated Houthi missile and drone strikes since the group captured the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in September 2014, with attacks intensifying alongside wider regional tensions following military action on February 28. News agency AFP reported that Syrian personnel were leading drone operations against Houthi targets inside Yemen, a claim Syria denied.

The Syrian government is also evaluating potential accession to the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, a collective security framework established in August by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan. Security analyst Nanar Hawach told Al Jazeera that integration into a regional defense mechanism allows Damascus to anchor its post-war recovery while demonstrating its utility as a security partner to Riyadh.

Analysts also noted that closer security ties with Riyadh provide political backing for Syria as it seeks to deter Israeli military incursions into the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa. Additionally, Saudi diplomatic support was instrumental in securing the removal of United States sanctions after the overthrow of the Assad government in December 2024.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com