Report: Syria Preparing to Send Up to 10,000 Fighters to Saudi Arabia

Syria is reportedly preparing to send thousands of fighters to Saudi Arabia as part of the campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, according to a report published Tuesday by the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is associated with the Iranian axis.

Citing intelligence sources in Yemen, the newspaper reported that a Syrian military delegation visited Saudi Arabia last week to examine arrangements for transferring up to 10,000 fighters.

The delegation was reportedly led by two senior officers in the new Syrian army: Khaled Khattab, a division commander, and Haitham al-Ali, commander of the Third Corps. The two held meetings with Saudi military officials to discuss the operational and financial aspects of the proposed deployment.

Khattab spent four days in the Asir and Najran regions of southern Saudi Arabia, accompanied by local officers. During his visit, he toured sites reportedly designated to receive the Syrian forces. Meanwhile, al-Ali met with officers at the Saudi Defense Ministry in Riyadh to discuss transportation costs, financial terms, benefits, and the missions the fighters would be assigned. Sources cited in the report claimed that the logistical arrangements have already been finalized.

Alongside preparations for the deployment, sources associated with the Saudi-backed government in Aden said that dozens of Syrian drone instructors are expected to be stationed at military camps in Asir and eastern Yemen. According to these sources, Syrian operators have already helped establish drone units within Saudi-backed forces in recent weeks.

A Houthi official in Sanaa claimed that "any Syrian participation in the war against Yemen will not be official. The United States, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which were responsible for supporting terrorist organizations and extremist groups in Syria, are the same countries that are now partners in the Mecca alliance."

The government of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has previously denied any intention of sending thousands of armed fighters to southern Saudi Arabia. The reported deployment has not been independently confirmed.