Damascus denies reports of deployment of Syrian forces to
Syrian Foreign Minister Asad al-Shaybani denied that Damascus had deployed troops to Yemen, in an attempt to downplay widespread media reports revealing plans to involve thousands of Syrian fighters in the Saudi-led coalition war in Yemen.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus alongside his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, Shibani claimed that the latest security cooperation agreement signed with Riyadh does not contain provisions for foreign military deployments, and claimed instead that any future military movements overseas would be publicly announced.
"There is no deployment of Syrian forces in Yemen, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future," Shibani claimed, insisting that bilateral military agreements with Saudi Arabia remain limited to technical training, consulting and exchanges of defense industries.
However, Damascus' official push directly contradicts reports published by AFP, al-Mayadeen and security monitors, which revealed over the weekend that a formal agreement had already been reached between Syrian and Saudi defense officials to deploy up to 10,000 Syrian fighters to Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
Intelligence and diplomatic sources claim that multiple Syrian units have already arrived at regional transit points as part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to mobilize regional ground forces amid escalating retaliatory attacks by the Yemeni armed forces against Saudi infrastructure.
Regional observers note that Damascus's official denials aim to minimize the domestic and diplomatic fallout, with the Syrian government seeking financial support and reconstruction funds from wealthy Gulf monarchies in exchange for military alignment within the Saudi-led coalition.