U.S. Media Reports Syria Considering Sending Troops to Strike Houthis, Syria Responds Supporting Saudi Arabia

Xinhua News Agency, Washington, October 7 - U.S. media reported on the 7th that Saudi Arabia is discussing with Syria the issue of sending Syrian troops to Yemen to participate in the fight against the Houthi armed forces in Yemen. The Syrian transitional government’s Ministry of Information responded through its media that day, firmly supporting Saudi Arabia, but Syria's "priority" is the reconstruction of the country.

The U.S. news site Axios reported on the 7th, citing several U.S. officials, that Saudi Arabia and Syria are discussing troop deployment, and that the president of the Syrian transitional government, Sharaf, is seriously considering the matter but has not yet made a decision.

The report cited informed sources as saying that Syria may send between 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers to Yemen, considering deploying troops from the 90th Division near the capital Damascus and the 84th Division near Suwayda Province in southern Syria.

According to a U.S. official, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman mentioned this matter during a meeting with the visiting Sharaf earlier this week in Riyadh. The Saudi side hopes that Syria will send troops.

U.S. officials said that Sharaf "is very likely to accept Saudi Arabia's request," and that the two countries have sought the opinion of the U.S. government on this matter, to which the U.S. is "principally not opposed." The U.S. Central Command has received inquiries on how to deploy Syrian troops.

In response to this report, the Syrian Arab News Agency quoted a statement from the Syrian transitional government’s Ministry of Information that Syria's position is clear: it firmly stands with Saudi Arabia to jointly address threats to its security and stability.

The statement also said that Syria's regional policy is based on stability, peace, and cooperation, rather than opening new fronts. Any military cooperation with partner countries can only be conducted through official channels and existing bilateral frameworks. The statement emphasized that Syria's "absolute priority" is the reconstruction of the country and improving the living conditions of the Syrian people.

The Houthi armed forces have recently launched an offensive against the Yemeni government forces and frequently attacked Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government. On the 5th of this month, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan held an emergency meeting of the "Mecca Defense Alliance" Strategic Political and Defense Committee to discuss the changes and threats to the security situation faced by Saudi Arabia, agreeing to immediately deploy military forces in Saudi Arabia.