Syria Sends Military Personnel to Saudi Arabia; Damascus Denies Forces Sent to Yemen

In depth

Two Syrian military sources told Reuters that dozens of Syrian military personnel have arrived in Saudi Arabia in recent weeks for advisory and training purposes, and that their mission may be expanded. A US source confirmed that the teams are assisting in training Saudi and Yemeni forces and warned of Syrian involvement in the war in Yemen. This took place after the two countries signed a defense agreement.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government is already receiving assistance from Damascus, according to sources cited by AFP, who claimed that hundreds of Syrian soldiers are present on the ground. A source in Damascus denied the report, saying that at this time there are no Syrian soldiers on Yemeni soil.

A Syrian diplomatic source told the official news agency SANA that reports of sending forces to Yemen are completely baseless, and that Damascus is currently focused on domestic affairs.