Syrian military advisers in Saudi Arabia for the war with the Houthis – whom they train and why Washington is worried, sources say

Damascus has already sent military advisers and teams of trainers to Saudi Arabia to help the kingdom against Houthi attacks. Two Syrian officers and a senior US official told Reuters on Friday, November 6, two days after a defence cooperation agreement was signed in Riyadh during the visit of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The Syrian trainers, as the US official describes them, work with Saudi units but also with units of Yemen’s internationally recognised government stationed inside the kingdom. They offer the combat experience gained during the years of the Syrian civil war. The two Syrian officers said dozens of personnel have arrived in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks and left open that the mission could at some point go beyond training and advice.

Syrian diplomacy keeps a more restrained line. A senior Syrian diplomat confirmed that the agreement of Wednesday, November 4 provides for “advisory support, training and exchange of expertise,” but judged any talk of deploying military forces at this stage “premature.” He added that his country gives priority to internal security, border protection and reconstruction.

What Riyadh gains and what Washington fears

On the Saudi side, a senior official presented the cooperation mainly as help in reorganising the Syrian armed forces. Riyadh, he said, also expects to make use of the Syrian fighters’ combat experience, while joint exercises are already under way and new security and defence activities are planned.

The US official urged Damascus to move carefully. A deployment that brought it directly into the war in Yemen could drag it into the wider regional conflict, something the new Syrian leadership has largely avoided since taking over after the fall of Assad in December 2024.

The fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis flared up again in July. The Yemeni rebels have targeted Saudi airports and oil facilities with missiles and drones, recently including a missile toward Medina, while Riyadh responds with air strikes in support of the Yemeni government. As early as October, Damascus was weighing options ranging from defensive help inside the kingdom to sending forces for offensive operations alongside the Yemeni government forces. The Syrian foreign ministry had replied then that any military cooperation with Saudi Arabia would take place only through official channels.

Damascus is also looking at a wider framework. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani confirmed in Bahrain that discussions are under way on a possible accession of Syria to the mutual defence pact of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey, saying Syria regards Gulf security as “part of regional security.” On Thursday, November 5, the Turkish parliament ratified the Mecca Agreement, and the Syrian diplomat did not rule out the bilateral agreement with Riyadh evolving into something similar.