Syria Denies Sending Military Forces to Yemen

Yemen Monitor / Newsroom: The Syrian Arab Republic on Saturday denied reports that it was sending military forces to Yemen at Saudi Arabia’s request to take part in fighting against the Houthi group. The official SANA news agency quoted a diplomatic source as saying that reports of Syria sending troops to Yemen at this time were “entirely baseless.” The source said Syria’s priorities in the coming period were focused on consolidating domestic security, reconstruction and economic recovery. He stressed that Saudi-Syrian cooperation was limited to training, the exchange of military expertise and consultations in ways that serve the interests of both countries under existing military agreements. The source said the agreement with Saudi Arabia focused on training military personnel and building their capabilities, adding that coordination visits by Saudi officials to Syria would begin next month. He also said the current cooperation could develop in the future into a mutual defense agreement or Syria’s accession to the Mecca Alliance, depending on shared interests. Earlier, Agence France-Presse, citing three military sources and a defense official, reported that hundreds of Syrian soldiers had already arrived in areas on both sides of the Saudi-Yemeni border. The post Syria Denies Sending Military Forces to Yemen appeared first on Yemen Monitor.