The Iran-backed Houthis said they fired missiles and drones at Riyadh on November 8 as Saudi Arabia sought troops from Syria’s new government. Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said falling shrapnel from an “attempted attack” caused minor damage to a Saudi Aramco administrative building in the King Abdullah Financial District. No casualties were reported.
The Houthis said they carried out “four qualitative military operations” that included ballistic and cruise missile launches. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said Saudi air defenses destroyed two ballistic missiles fired at Riyadh and that coalition forces destroyed two launchers in Saada that were used in the attack.
The day before, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed six operations targeting Aramco facilities, Riyadh’s airport, and Saudi troops on both sides of the Saudi-Yemeni border. He said the Houthis were imposing “blockade for blockade” and “escalation for escalation.”
The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, and a Saudi-led coalition entered the war in 2015 to support Yemen’s government. A truce began in 2022. Fighting resumed in July 2026 after the Houthis allowed an Iranian plane to land in Sanaa, defying Saudi control of Yemen’s airspace.
The Houthis then declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia and began striking Saudi ships, territory, and oil facilities. In September, they seized territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. The Saudi front is part of the wider regional war that began in February when the United States and Israel attacked Iran. The United Nations says more than 1,600 people have been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in July.
The State Department ordered non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, effective October 23. A November 3 U.S. Embassy alert cited Houthi attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure that caused civilian casualties. U.S. government employees are barred from traveling within 20 miles of the Yemen border.
In early October, a U.S. official told Reuters that Saudi Arabia had asked Syria to deploy forces against the Houthis. The request reportedly came up during Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s Riyadh meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A Syrian diplomat said at the time that Syria “stands with Saudi Arabia in the face of Houthi attacks.”
When al-Sharaa returned to Riyadh on November 4, the Saudi and Syrian defense ministries signed a cooperation agreement. The ministries did not disclose the terms. It was Saudi Arabia’s first defense agreement with Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, whose government was aligned with Iran.
On November 7, a source in Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council said Syria and Saudi Arabia had agreed to send about 3,000 troops to fight the Houthis. A Yemeni Defense Ministry source put the total at more than 10,000 fighters and said the first phase would involve 3,000 Syrians, including officers and experts. Three Yemeni military sources and a defense official said hundreds had already deployed on both sides of the Saudi-Yemeni border.
On November 8, three officials with knowledge of the plans said Syria was preparing to send fighters to the Saudi border who could help fight the Houthis in Yemen. A Syrian official said an initial contingent of about 600 Syrian special forces personnel was expected to deploy “in the coming week.” Saudi Arabia insisted that the fighters be Syrian nationals, excluding foreigners who had come to Syria during its civil war. Saudi officials did not respond to requests for comment.
At a November 9 press conference in Damascus with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said, “There is no deployment of troops to Yemen nor is there a plan for such deployment in the near future.” He said Syria would announce any plans to deploy troops abroad and that the Saudi agreement was aimed at rebuilding Syria’s armed forces. “We condemn threats by the Houthi militia against Saudi Arabia,” he added. His denial addressed Yemen, leaving open the possibility of a combat deployment inside Saudi Arabia.
By early November, Syria had sent a limited number of military personnel to advise and train Saudi forces. Syrian advisers were also training Yemeni forces inside the kingdom. Khaled Khattab, commander of Syria’s 82nd Division, led a delegation on a two-week visit to Saudi Arabia, during which 36 Syrian military officials toured a command room in Jeddah staffed by Saudi and Yemeni officers. An unnamed Syrian official told the state news agency SANA that Syrian personnel were in Saudi Arabia for “training, expertise exchange” and military consultations.
Saudi Arabia is also deepening its economic ties with Damascus. During al-Sharaa’s November 4 visit, the Saudi Fund for Development signed six loan agreements with Syria worth more than $403 million.
Syria may also be moving toward a formal alliance with Riyadh. In August, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, which commits them to treat an attack on any one of the three countries as an attack on all three. Two Syrian officials said Damascus had decided to join and had yet to announce its decision. A regional official said talks were ongoing.
Syria had turned down proposals to intervene against Hezbollah in Lebanon from President Donald Trump. A Syrian deployment against the Houthis could expose Syria to attacks by Iraqi militias allied with the Houthis.
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