Reports: Syria is considering sending forces to Yemen to support the Saudi-led coalition, and Ansar Allah bombs Riyadh airport again

Yemeni media said, “The Homeland Shield Forces, the Giants Brigades, and the Joint Forces took full control of the Kahboub front,” at dawn on Thursday.

This coincided with efforts in various directions by Saudi Arabia to confront the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in Yemen, amid reports indicating that Riyadh is requesting Syria’s assistance in this regard.

Syria is currently carefully considering providing military assistance to its main ally, Saudi Arabia, in light of the escalation of the war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to statements published by Reuters news agency by an American official and a Syrian military official familiar with the matter.

The two sources said that options for sending forces to Yemen, which are still under study, include providing defensive assistance to protect Saudi Arabia from attacks, or deploying forces with offensive capabilities to help support Saudi-backed Yemeni forces in fighting the Houthis.

The American website Axios published a report stating this information as well.

The American official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia asked Syria to deploy forces to fight against the Houthis.

A Syrian diplomat said that Syria stands firmly with Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks, but the government's main focus is on internal priorities such as recovering from the civil war in the country.

The diplomat said in a statement: “If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia requests any military cooperation or exchange of expertise, this will take place exclusively through official channels and within the framework of bilateral agreements regulating relations between our two brotherly countries.”

The Saudi government media office and the Yemeni Minister of Information did not respond to requests for comment sent to them by Reuters.

Reports had indicated that Saudi Arabia had requested assistance on a large scale, from the United States to Europe and the Middle East, to obtain defensive and offensive support in a renewed war against the group, weeks after the Houthis attacked the Kingdom with missiles and drones.

The war on the ground is being led by a variety of Yemeni government forces with Saudi air support. These forces have made limited progress since the launch of the campaign last Monday.

The head of the transitional period in Syria, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, made an announced visit to Riyadh last Tuesday, where he met with the Saudi Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Footage broadcast by Syrian official media showed that he was seen off to his plane by the Saudi Defense Minister, Prince Khaled bin Salman, brother of the Crown Prince, who supervises the Yemen file by virtue of his position.

The past years have witnessed the participation of members of the former Syrian opposition factions in foreign conflicts, especially in Libya and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, without an official Syrian statement regarding these reports.

The forces that previously formed the opposition are under the umbrella of the new state institutions, which are currently focused on avoiding regional polarization and focusing on the recovery and rebuilding phase after long years of conflict, according to statements by Syrian officials.

The Syrian authorities continue to restructure the military institution to integrate the various former armed formations into a unified army, in parallel with strengthening civil peace and preserving societal balances and sectarian diversity.

According to an American official, any military friction between the Syrian forces and the Houthi group may raise sensitivities “with critical sectarian dimensions, which the Syrian leadership and international partners have been keen to avoid.”

In this context, Damascus preferred not to respond to previous proposals regarding engaging in regional conflicts, such as the confrontation with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Also, entering into a confrontation with the Houthis may be interpreted as a hostile stance towards regional parties such as Iran and its allies in the region, which contradicts Damascus’s current trend towards overcoming previous tensions.