ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani on Monday denied circulating reports about his country’s deployment of troops in Yemen to assist Saudi Arabia in the fight against the Ansarullah Movement, better known as the Houthis, two days after three separate Yemeni military sources and a defense official told AFP that Syrian soldiers were in Yemen.
“Syria has no troops deployed in Yemen and no immediate plans to do so,” Shaibani stated in a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi. He added that such measures will be publicly announced rather than “conducted covertly.”
His statement comes amid reports indicating that Syria has sent thousands of troops to Yemen which surfaced following Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh last week, which included the signing of a military cooperation agreement with the kingdom.
Paris-based Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing Yemeni officials, reported Saturday that Damascus was preparing to send around 3,000 troops to Saudi Arabia and Yemen as a reinforcement against the Houthis, stating that deployment could eventually exceed 10,000 troops, and that hundreds were already allegedly stationed on both sides of the Saudi-Yemeni border.
Shaibani said Monday that the agreement focuses “strictly” on rebuilding the Syrian military apparatus, while reaffirming support to both Riyadh and the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognized government of Yemen in their battles against the Houthis - a 12-year-long hostility renewed in mid-July.
The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), citing a “diplomatic source,” denied the allegations directly after the visit.
The source said Syria's military agreements with Saudi Arabia were limited to “training, expertise exchange and military consultations,” with Saudi coordination visits to Syria scheduled to begin next month.
Shaibani further pointed to the Mecca Defense Pact, signed in August between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey, which enforces mutual defense, a clause that has been largely inactive given Islamabad and Ankara’s avoidance to assist Riyadh in its fights against the Houthis.
In Monday’s press conference, Shaibani and Safadi announced the signing of 11 documents, “including [memoranda of understanding] MoUs, executive programs, and protocols,” SANA reported.
Syria and Jordan share a 362 kilometer-long border.
The state-owned Jordan News Agency (Petra) said the agreements encompass “food security, agriculture, environment, investment, water, rail transport, youth, public administration, civil aviation, higher education, and educational cooperation.”
