BEIRUT, November 6. /TASS/. Syria has sent its military instructors to Saudi Arabia under the bilateral defense cooperation agreement between the countries, Syria TV said, citing a high-ranking Syrian diplomat.
"The mission involves training military personnel, sharing combat experience, and providing advisory support," he said. "This is not about deploying military contingents to the kingdom at this stage."
At the same time, he did not rule out that in the future, military cooperation between the two countries could be expanded to include provisions from the Mecca Agreement, a defense pact signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan in August.
"Syrian instructors will help Saudi forces by sharing their experience in combating armed units," he stressed.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani said on October 31 that Damascus was looking at joining the Mecca Agreement.
The Axios portal reported earlier that Damascus and Riyadh were negotiating a potential deployment of from 10,000 to 20,000 Syrian troops to Yemen to fight against the Ansar Allah (Houthis) rebel movement on the side of the Saudi-led coalition. Syria’s information ministry denied these reports however, saying that Syria’s regional policy is focused on "strengthening stability rather than on opening new fronts.".