The New York Times reports Syria is weighing deployment of several thousand
troops to Saudi Arabia and Yemen to assist Saudi efforts against Iran-backed
Houthi forces. Syrian and Yemeni officials said Syrian military reconnaissance
teams have in recent weeks surveyed deployment sites and coordinated with local
forces; about 150 Syrian soldiers and commanders traveled last month with Saudi Arabia
military personnel to Tamud in northeast Yemen near the Saudi border. Damascus
has made no final decision. Any deployment would likely operate under the Mecca
Joint Defense Agreement signed in August by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan,
with an ostensible mission to protect the Saudi border and prevent Houthi ground
infiltration. Riyadh remains a major donor and investor in Syria; last week
Saudi and Syrian authorities signed reconstruction and emergency-services deals
worth over $400m. Syria’s military remains in post-war reorganisation and faces
Israeli strikes and domestic extremist threats, so an overseas deployment could
add to internal security pressures.
