Syria weighs sending troops to help Saudis fight Houthis

Syria is considering military help for Saudi Arabia as Riyadh steps up its war against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, according to a U.S. official and a Syrian military official who spoke to Reuters. The options include defensive aid to protect the kingdom from Houthi attacks, or sending forces to fight alongside Saudi-backed Yemeni troops. The U.S. official said Saudi Arabia had asked Syria to send forces to fight the Houthis.reuters

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh on Tuesday, Oct. 6, and discussed the possible assistance with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the U.S. official said. Axios, citing three U.S. officials, reported that al-Sharaa is seriously considering a deployment but has not decided. One official said he was highly likely to accept the Saudi request.axios+1

Troop numbers and U.S. position

A source familiar with the talks told Axios that Syria could send 10,000 to 20,000 troops. The units under discussion are the 90th Division near Damascus and the 84th Division in southern Syria. The 84th includes thousands of Islamist foreign fighters who fought the Assad regime with the HTS rebel group. U.S. officials told Axios that the Trump administration was consulted and does not oppose the idea in principle, and that U.S. Central Command was asked how a deployment might work. The White House and CENTCOM declined to comment.axios

The Yemeni offensive began Monday, Oct. 5. Its goal is to retake Houthi-held territory, including the capital, Sanaa, and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. It followed weeks of Houthi missile and drone attacks on the kingdom. A patchwork of Yemeni government forces is fighting on the ground with Saudi air support, and Reuters reported they have made limited advances.reuters+1

Risks for Damascus

A Syrian diplomat told Reuters that Syria "stood firmly" with Saudi Arabia but that the government's main focus is recovering from the civil war at home. The diplomat said any cooperation would take place "exclusively through official channels and within the framework of the bilateral agreements" between the two countries.reuters

The U.S. official told Reuters that fighting the Houthis, who follow an offshoot of Shiite Islam, could take on religious undertones that Damascus and its Western partners want to avoid. That concern is why Syria earlier turned down a U.S. request to help fight Hezbollah. Iran and its allies in Lebanon and Iraq could also see a deployment as a hostile act. Still, al-Sharaa has reasons to show support for Riyadh. Saudi Arabia helped him gain international legitimacy, arranged his May 2025 meeting with President Donald Trump, and has given Syria financial aid.reuters

H.A. Hellyer of the Royal United Services Institute said a small defensive deployment would be "tremendously and positively symbolic." But "Syrian boots on the ground," he said, "would be a wholly different proposition, and one I think Damascus would avoid".reuters