Syria has sent military personnel to Saudi Arabia for training and consultations, a Syrian official said, while Damascus denies reports that its forces are fighting the Houthis inside Yemen, according to Al Jazeera.

The confirmation follows President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh last week, where defence cooperation featured in talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

A Syrian government official told state news agency SANA that the soldiers’ role involved “training, expertise exchange and military consultations,” Al Jazeera reported. Syria’s foreign ministry had described cooperation between the two countries’ defence ministries as the most notable of their agreements, without providing details.

Al Jazeera also cited The Associated Press, which reported Sunday that Syrian officials said military advisers had already arrived in Saudi Arabia and 600 special forces personnel were due to follow. Reuters separately reported that Syria was providing military advice and training inside the kingdom following Houthi missile attacks on Saudi cities.

Those accounts are distinct from claims of Syrian combat operations in Yemen. Al Jazeera said AFP had reported that Syrians were leading drone operations against the Houthis there, a claim the Syrian government denied.

Syrian analyst Nanar Hawach told Al Jazeera that a training role inside Saudi Arabia could demonstrate support for Riyadh without amounting to a deployment on Yemen’s front lines. He cautioned that involvement against Iran’s allies could nevertheless expose Syria to retaliation.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Iran-backed Houthis since March 2015.

The military cooperation also comes as Damascus seeks support for reconstruction. Riyadh pledged $403 million in loans during al-Sharaa’s visit to help rebuild Syrian infrastructure damaged during the civil war, Al Jazeera reported.

Sources