Syria Considers Dispatching Troops to Fight Yemen's Houthi Rebels, U.S. Reportedly Unopposed

Syria is considering dispatching troops for a counter-offensive operation against Yemen's Houthi rebels, U.S. online media outlet Axios reported on the 7th (local time).

Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government forces, reportedly requested troop deployment from Syria, and Syria is positively reviewing the request.

According to a U.S. official, the deployment issue was also discussed during a meeting earlier this week in the Saudi capital of Riyadh between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The official added that while President al-Sharaa has not yet formally approved the deployment decision, Syria is likely to accept Saudi Arabia's request.

The U.S. administration of Donald Trump is also known to hold a stance of not opposing the Syrian military deployment in principle.

During the process of discussing the troop deployment, Saudi Arabia and Syria each sought prior opinions from the U.S. side, and the U.S. conducted internal reviews regarding the matter.

An underlying welcoming atmosphere toward the Syrian troop deployment has also been perceived within the Trump administration.

This is because deploying Syrian troops could alleviate the burden of direct U.S. intervention while supporting Saudi Arabia's military operations against the Houthis.

If the actual deployment is finalized, it could also achieve the effect of further strengthening relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria, both of which are friendly to the United States.

A source with knowledge of the matter told Axios that Syria could dispatch a force numbering between 10,000 and 20,000 troops to Yemen.

The units under consideration for deployment are reportedly the 90th Division stationed near the capital of Damascus and the 84th Division stationed near As-Suwayda in southern Syria.

However, Axios pointed out that the deployment of Syrian troops could introduce religious elements into the Yemeni civil war and deepen the conflict.

The 84th Division includes thousands of foreign Islamist Sunni fighters who previously operated in rebel organizations against the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

On the other hand, Yemen's Houthi rebels adhere to Zaidism, a branch of Shia Islam.

This is where concerns are raised that the deployment of Syrian troops could potentially flare up into sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Houthi rebels continued their attacks against the Saudi-led coalition on the same day.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthi rebels, stated in a Telegram statement that they launched a ballistic missile attack on coalition positions south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

"Over the past 24 hours, 11 ballistic missiles were fired toward 11 gatherings of Saudi forces south of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait," he claimed, adding that the attack killed or injured dozens, including commanders.

He also claimed that a separate ballistic missile attack caused over 30 casualties at the positions of the 13th Brigade under the Giants Brigade, a pro-government armed faction.

The Saudi-led coalition likewise claimed that it destroyed ballistic missile launchers in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a that were recently used in an attack on Riyadh.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.