Syria is seriously considering sending military help to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom's renewed war with Yemen's Houthi movement intensifies, according to a U.S. official and a Syrian military official who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday.
The options under discussion range from defensive support to protect Saudi territory from Houthi missiles and drones to deploying Syrian troops in combat alongside Saudi-backed Yemeni forces. The U.S. official said Riyadh has directly asked Damascus to send forces to fight the Houthis.
A request on the table
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh on Tuesday and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. According to the U.S. official, possible Syrian military assistance was among the topics they discussed. Asked for comment, a Syrian diplomat said Syria stands firmly with Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks, but that the government's main focus remains recovering from its own civil war. The diplomat added that any military cooperation would happen only through official channels and existing bilateral agreements. Saudi officials did not respond to Reuters.
Saudi Arabia has been seeking help widely, from the United States, Europe and across the Middle East, after weeks of Houthi missile and drone strikes on the kingdom. The ground campaign, launched Monday, is being fought by a mix of Yemeni government forces backed by Saudi air power, and it has made only limited gains so far.
The fighting continued Wednesday. Yemen's Transport Ministry said the Houthis fired ballistic missiles and drones at Aden's international airport, with one missile landing near the runway shortly before a flight from Cairo was due in; that plane was diverted to Jeddah. The Saudi-led coalition also said it intercepted Houthi missiles aimed at Khamis Mushait and at an area north of Riyadh.
Why it's a hard call for Damascus
Syria's new government has tried to stay out of regional conflicts, including the Iran war, while it rebuilds. Its army is still being assembled from the rebel factions that toppled Bashar al-Assad, and it is managing tensions with minority communities. The U.S. official said a fight against the Houthis, who follow a branch of Shi'ite Islam, could take on sectarian overtones that Syria's leaders and Western partners want to avoid. That concern is why Damascus previously turned down a U.S. request to help fight Hezbollah in Lebanon. Joining the war could also be seen as hostile by Iran and its allies in Lebanon and Iraq.
On the other side of the ledger, Sharaa has strong reasons to show loyalty. Saudi Arabia helped him gain international legitimacy, including brokering his May 2025 meeting with President Donald Trump, and has given Syria financial aid that could grow.
H.A. Hellyer of London's Royal United Services Institute told Reuters that a small defensive team plus anti-drone technical help would be a powerful symbol, but that sending Syrian ground troops would be "a wholly different proposition" that Damascus would likely avoid.