Syria denies sending troops to Yemen amid deployment claims

Syria’s government denied sending troops to Yemen, contradicting accounts from Yemeni officials who told AFP that Syrian forces had been deployed near the Saudi-Yemeni border and that thousands more could join operations against the Houthis. The claims have not been publicly confirmed by Damascus or Riyadh.

A Syrian diplomatic source told state news agency SANA on November 7 that Syria had not sent troops to Yemen. The source said military cooperation with Saudi Arabia currently focuses on training, building military capabilities, consultations and exchanging expertise. It said the cooperation could eventually develop into a mutual-defense agreement or Syria’s participation in the Mecca defense pact.

By contrast, a source in Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council told AFP that Syria and Saudi Arabia had agreed on an initial deployment of about 3,000 troops to fight the Houthis. A Yemeni Defense Ministry source separately described a first phase of about 3,000 personnel, including officers and specialists, and said later stages could bring the total above 10,000.

Yemeni military sources and a defense official also told AFP that hundreds of Syrian personnel were already positioned...