Syria denies sending troops to Yemen as analysts weigh other support for Saudi Arabia

DAMASCUS — Syria has denied plans to send troops to Yemen, but reports of a possible deployment against the Houthis continue to circulate, and analysts say Damascus could still support Saudi Arabia in other ways, The New Arab reported on 26 October 2026.

Analysts who spoke to the outlet said a Syrian deployment in Yemen was unlikely given Syria's own domestic security challenges. They suggested any military support for Riyadh could take forms that do not involve troops on Yemeni territory.

The Al-Akhbar report

The reports trace back to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar. Citing unnamed Yemeni intelligence sources, it said Riyadh and Damascus had held talks on transferring up to 10,000 Syrian fighters to Yemen. The New Arab said it could not independently verify the claims.

According to the newspaper, a Syrian military delegation recently visited the Saudi capital and the kingdom's southern regions to assess the proposed deployment. It named Brigadier General Khaled Khattab, formerly leader of the Ansar al-Tawhid faction and now commander of the 82nd Division in the new Syrian army. He reportedly spent four days in the southern Saudi regions of Asir and Najran with Saudi officers, and the delegation visited sites said to be prepared to receive Syrian fighters.

Al-Akhbar also named Brigadier General Haitham al-Ali, known as Abu Muslim, who commands the army's Third Corps and is a former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander. He was said to have met Saudi officers at the defence ministry in Riyadh. Topics reportedly included the costs of moving about 10,000 fighters, financial arrangements, benefits and their expected military role. The newspaper said the delegation had finalised logistical preparations for the transfer.

None of these details has been confirmed by Saudi or Syrian officials in the material reviewed. Damascus has denied plans to send troops to Yemen.

Analysts: support need not mean troops in Yemen

Muaz al-Abdallah, a Syria analyst at the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), told The New Arab that Syrian military support for Saudi Arabia would not necessarily mean deploying troops inside Yemen.

He said one possibility was that Syrian forces could be sent to help protect Saudi Arabia's southern border, rather than fight the Houthis on Yemeni soil. Al-Abdallah said the Syrian statement left open the possibility of military cooperation with Riyadh, even if Damascus maintained that it had not deployed forces inside Yemen.

The New Arab's published text, as available, did not set out further analyst views on what other forms of support might look like.

Egypt debates its own support for Riyadh

Separately, Egypt's parliament has been discussing military backing for Saudi Arabia. Anadolu Agency, citing Egyptian media, reported that lawmakers on Monday resumed closed-door talks on authorising President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to provide military support, including a possible troop deployment, if the kingdom requests it.

It was the third session, chaired by Parliament Speaker Hisham Badawi, after two closed-door meetings last week held at Sisi's request, according to the Egyptian newspaper Al-Akhbar. Anadolu said nearly 500 lawmakers had asked to speak, which could mean more sessions before a final vote.

Deputy Speaker Assem el-Gazzar said more than 100 lawmakers had spoken in the first two sessions. Most expressed support for authorising Sisi to send troops to defend Saudi territory, he said. He added that Egypt remained committed to diplomacy as its primary approach to maintaining peace. The sessions are closed, he said, because lawmakers need access to sensitive strategic information before deciding.

In a post on Telegram, Al Jazeera Arabic said the Egyptian parliament had approved Sisi's request to take defensive measures in support of Saudi Arabia. That post is unverified, and the Anadolu report published shortly before it described the final vote as still to come.

Under Article 152 of Egypt's constitution, the president cannot declare war or send armed forces on combat missions abroad without consulting the National Defense Council and winning two-thirds approval in parliament, according to Anadolu.

Sisi has said Egypt is ready to take measures requested by Saudi Arabia to defend its territory, while stressing diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation, Anadolu reported.

Background

Anadolu described the debate as taking place amid escalating hostilities between Yemen's Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition that backs Yemen's internationally recognised government. Saudi authorities have reported repeated drone and missile attacks on several areas of the kingdom, including Riyadh and southern regions near the Yemeni border.

On 19 October, Egypt's National Defense Council expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia after the attacks and reaffirmed Cairo's commitment to Saudi security and sovereignty. The council later met under Sisi's chairmanship to discuss regional developments and the recent attacks, according to Anadolu.

The Syrian officers named by Al-Akhbar come from factions that were previously separate from the national army. The New Arab described Khattab's former group, Ansar al-Tawhid, and al-Ali's former group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as part of their earlier backgrounds. Their units now sit within what the outlet called the new Syrian army.