Syria weighs sending up to 20,000 troops to Yemen after Saudi request to support offensive against Houthis

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is seriously considering a Saudi request to send Syrian troops to Yemen to support Saudi-backed forces fighting the Houthis, but has not made a final decision.

Axios reported, citing three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the discussions, that Syria could deploy between 10,000 and 20,000 troops. The 90th Division near Damascus and the 84th Division in southern Syria are among the units under consideration, with the latter including thousands of foreign Islamist fighters who previously fought under the umbrella of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The Trump administration has been consulted and does not oppose the deployment in principle, while U.S. Central Command has been consulted on how Syrian forces could be deployed.