Syria is contemplating sending military support to Saudi Arabia to counter attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, officials from both the US and Syria. This development comes as the Iran-aligned Houthi group intensifies its missile and drone assaults on Saudi territory, resulting in three fatalities at Saudi airports earlier this week.
The potential involvement of Syrian forces marks an expansion of the ongoing US-Iran proxy conflict and underscores how Yemen’s renewed civil war is exacerbating instability across the region. This escalation risks drawing neighboring countries into prolonged and difficult mountain warfare.
Saudi Arabia has sought assistance from allied nations, including Turkey and Pakistan, aiming for support that could be logistical or defensive in nature. This request has gained urgency following recent Houthi attacks on critical infrastructure, such as the missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
On Thursday morning, multiple loud explosions were reported in Riyadh, though their source remained unidentified. There was no official confirmation or public alert issued immediately, but some diplomats received warnings, and certain schools advised parents to keep children sheltered indoors.
The Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the ballistic missile attack on Riyadh’s airport. Saudi authorities have not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
Saudi officials confirmed that one person was killed in the Riyadh airport strike, while two others died in a separate attack on Abha airport in the southwest on Tuesday and Wednesday.
US and Syrian officials indicated that Syria is carefully evaluating options for military support. This could range from defensive measures to protect Saudi Arabia from further attacks to potentially deploying forces offensively alongside Saudi-backed Yemeni troops to combat the Houthis.
The Yemen civil war, which had seen a ceasefire in 2022, has reignited in recent weeks. The Houthis recently captured parts of the Red Sea coast, including areas near the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The group claims these actions are in response to assaults by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, which denies these allegations.
The Houthis’ threats to shipping lanes critical for Gulf oil exports, especially following Iran’s attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, along with their targeting of Saudi cities and infrastructure, have prompted Saudi Arabia to reengage militarily.
A Syrian diplomat responding to inquiries emphasized Syria’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia against Houthi aggression but noted that Damascus remains primarily focused on domestic recovery efforts following its own civil war. The diplomat stated that any military cooperation would occur through official channels and within existing bilateral agreements between the two countries.
In response to the Houthi advances, Saudi-backed forces launched a counteroffensive this week, reclaiming territory around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. However, the Houthis have also made gains, encircling Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, by seizing land along the main mountain road to Aden.
The conflict pits the Houthis against a coalition of Saudi-supported forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The renewed fighting has triggered a humanitarian crisis, displacing approximately 200,000 people since hostilities resumed.
This summer, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca pact, pledging mutual defense, though Turkey has yet to ratify the agreement internally. Turkey announced it is providing mainly defensive and technical assistance to Saudi Arabia, including military equipment, intelligence sharing, and weapons systems.
Turkey, a close ally of Syria’s government and former supporter of Syrian rebel factions, previously deployed Syrian fighters to Libya in 2020 to assist in that country’s civil war. Pakistan has also contributed by flying military cargo to Aden and stationing troops within Saudi Arabia to help defend its borders.
Requests for comment from Saudi Arabia’s media office and Yemen’s information ministry were not answered.
