RIYADH (Azat TV) – Syria has sent a limited number of military personnel to Saudi Arabia to provide military advice and training as Riyadh faces escalating attacks from Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi movement, two Syrian military sources and a senior US official told Reuters in an article published on Nov. 6, 2026. The deployment follows a bilateral defense cooperation agreement signed in Riyadh on Wednesday during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi Arabia has grappled with worsening hostilities with the Houthis since July, when the broader Middle East conflict reignited the Yemen war. In response, Riyadh has sought both defensive and offensive support from regional partners. The senior US official stated that advisory and training teams from Syria—where fighters gained extensive combat experience during years of civil conflict—are traveling to the kingdom to help train Saudi and Yemeni units to enhance combat effectiveness.
Defense Pact and Financial Lifeline
The newly signed defense pact provides a broad framework for military cooperation. According to a senior Syrian diplomat, the agreement specifically encompasses advisory support, training, and the exchange of expertise. A senior Saudi official confirmed that ongoing expertise sharing is intended to restructure Syrian forces while also leveraging Syrian combat experience against armed militias. Joint training exercises are already underway and further security cooperation is planned.
Alongside the defense pact, the visit yielded substantial economic support. The Saudi Fund for Development signed six agreements with Syria’s Finance Ministry on Wednesday, providing over $403 million in concessional development loans. These funds offer a critical financial lifeline for Syria as the country works to revive its war-torn economy and manage reconstruction costs totaling hundreds of billions of dollars.
Regional Security Dynamics and Broader Alliances
Syria’s emergence as a key security partner for Riyadh marks a major geopolitical shift following the 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad. Damascus is also weighing broader regional security alignments. Speaking at a recent conference in Bahrain, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani noted that his country is exploring participation in regional defense frameworks, including the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement linking Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey—an accord that the Turkish parliament ratified on Thursday.
While Washington has urged Damascus to proceed cautiously to avoid entanglement in the wider regional war, the diplomatic and military ties between Riyadh and Damascus continue to solidify. As regional tensions persist across maritime shipping lanes and energy infrastructure, both nations have emphasized the importance of coordinated security measures and diplomatic efforts to stabilize the region.