Syria Shoots Down Report It's Sending Troops to Fight Houthis

Syria has flatly rejected a report that it planned to send thousands of troops into Yemen and Saudi Arabia to battle the Houthis. Syrian diplomatic sources told state-run SANA News Agency on Saturday that the claim, first floated by AFP, has no grounding. Damascus says its attention is parked firmly at home.

The source framed Syria's military dealings with Riyadh as routine cooperation — training, swapping expertise and consultations — and said nothing more. Such arrangements, the source added, will stay at a level that serves both countries' national interests. No troop deployments, no expeditionary force.

Instead, Damascus says its coming priorities are internal security, reconstruction and getting its economy back on its feet. The diplomat also noted that bilateral meetings between Sanaa and Damascus are lined up to start next month, per SANA.

The denial lands after AFP reported, citing multiple Yemeni officials, that Syria intended to dispatch thousands of fighters to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. According to three Yemeni military sources quoted by the outlet, hundreds of Syrian fighters were already present in both countries. A source tied to the Saudi-backed Yemeni presidency said fresh troops were on the way to take on the Houthis.

The backdrop is anything but calm. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV said Saudi airstrikes killed 11 people, including women and children, in Yemen's Bani Hashish district on Saturday — a toll that could not be independently verified. Houthi-run Saba reported four strikes in Saada's Maran district, and the Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses downed a cruise missile over Riyadh.

For now, the story splits down the middle: Yemeni officials describe Syrian boots on the ground, Damascus describes a handshake and a training manual. The planned Sanaa–Damascus talks next month may be the first place to see which version holds up.