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Al-Sharaa Weighs Saudi Request to Send Syrian Forces to Yemen
Axios, citing three U.S. officials, reported that Saudi Arabia and Syria are discussing the possible deployment of Syrian forces to Yemen to join the Saudi-backed counteroffensive against the Houthis.
According to the officials, transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa is seriously considering the Saudi request but has not yet made a final decision. One U.S. official said al-Sharaa was likely to agree to send the forces.
Officials said Riyadh and Damascus had consulted with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump about the move. They also discussed possible deployment arrangements with U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM. Washington, they said, does not oppose the deployment in principle.
Axios quoted a source familiar with the discussions as saying that the number of troops under consideration could range from 10,000 to 20,000. The units being discussed include the 90th Division, based near Damascus, and the 84th Division, based in southern Syria near Suwayda.
According to the source, the 84th Division includes thousands of foreign fighters with Islamist leanings who came to Syria during the civil war and fought against Bashar al-Assad’s government as part of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The discussions follow the launch of a large-scale ground operation by Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces against the Houthis. The operation aims to retake areas under Houthi control, including Sanaa and the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
U.S. officials believe that Syrian forces could bolster the Saudi-led operation without requiring direct U.S. involvement and could also strengthen ties between Riyadh and Damascus. The report, however, warned that the participation of Sunni Islamist fighters against the Houthis, who adhere to Zaydi Shiism, could add a sectarian dimension to the war and further intensify the conflict.
