Syria sends military advisers to Saudi Arabia amid Houthi attacks, sources say

Syria has sent a small number of military personnel to Saudi Arabia to advise and train forces as the kingdom comes under attack from Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reported, citing two Syrian military sources and a senior US official. The US official said Syrian advisers and training teams were travelling to Saudi Arabia to improve the combat effectiveness of Saudi and Yemeni units based there. The two Syrian military sources, who had direct knowledge of the matter, said scores of personnel had travelled to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. A senior Syrian diplomat told Reuters that "any suggestion of military deployments at this stage is premature" and that Syria remained focused on internal security, border protection and reconstruction. The diplomat added that a defence cooperation agreement the two countries signed on Wednesday "specifically includes advisory support, training and exchange of expertise". The two countries signed the agreement in Riyadh during a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the second time in less than a month. The full terms of the deal were not made public. Turkey, a close ally of Damascus, recently ratified a defence pact signed in Mecca in August by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told a recent conference in Bahrain that talks were under way on Syria joining the pact.