❗️Damascus denies reports of Syrian troop deployment to join Saudi-led war on Yemen Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani has denied that Damascus has deployed troops to Yemen, attempting to downplay widespread media reports revealing plans to integrate thousands of Syrian fighters into the Saudi-led coalition's war on Yemen. Speaking at a joint press conference in Damascus alongside his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi, Shaibani asserted that the recent defense cooperation pact signed with Riyadh does not contain provisions for foreign combat deployments, claiming instead that any future overseas military movements would be publicly declared. "There is no deployment of Syrian forces in Yemen, nor are there any plans to do so in the near future," Shaibani claimed, insisting that bilateral military agreements with Saudi Arabia remain limited to technical training, consulting, and defense industry exchanges. However, Damascus' official pushback directly contradicts reports published by AFP, Al Mayadeen, and defense tracking outlets, which revealed over the weekend that a formal agreement had already been finalized between Syrian and Saudi defense officials to send phased deployments of up to 10,000 Syrian fighters into Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Intelligence and diplomatic sources allege that multiple Syrian detachments have already arrived in regional transit hubs as part of Saudi Arabia's efforts to mobilize regional ground forces amid escalating retaliatory strikes by Yemen's Armed Forces against Saudi infrastructure. Regional observers point out that Damascus' official denials aim to minimize domestic and diplomatic fallout as the Syrian administration seeks financial backing and reconstruction funds from wealthy Gulf monarchies in exchange for military alignment within the Saudi-led Coalition.