Thousands of Syrian troops deploy to Saudi Arabia and Yemen to aid anti-Houthi campaign

Yemeni officials and a security source report that thousands of Syrian soldiers have begun deploying in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with hundreds already on both sides of the border, as part of an agreement to assist in the fight against Houthi forces.

Yemeni officials reported that thousands of Syrian soldiers have begun deploying in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, with hundreds already on both sides of the Yemeni-Saudi border. This comes as Riyadh rallies international support against the Houthis and for the Yemeni government in Aden. Three military sources and a defense official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said that hundreds of Syrian soldiers are now present on both sides of the border. A source in the Presidential Leadership Council and another in the Defense Ministry added that thousands more will be deployed to help fight the Houthis. According to Yemeni government and military sources, the agreement to send the soldiers was reached during Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara's recent visit to Riyadh. The sources indicated that the Syrian forces on the Yemeni side of the border are leading drone operations against the Houthis. They said that "the agreement stipulates the deployment of more than 10,000 Syrian fighters in total, in stages," adding that technical teams from the Syrian and Saudi defense ministries are working in Riyadh to finalize arrangements for the participation of Syrian forces in operations against the Houthis.