Saudi Arabia National News Agency reported on November 4th that the Saudi and Syrian Defense Ministries signed a security cooperation agreement. On the same day, Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Assad met with Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh during his visit to Saudi Arabia. This is the second meeting between both sides in less than a month.
Currently, neither side has announced the specific details of the agreement.
This signing took place during the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houla militant group in Yemen. Recently, the Houla militants have continuously fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Arabia has sought military support from the United States, European countries, and Middle Eastern nations.
Last month, a source said that Syria was carefully evaluating whether to provide military assistance to Saudi Arabia in support of Saudi military operations against the Houthi movement.
A Syrian diplomat said at that time that any requests for military cooperation or experience exchange would be carried out through official channels, within the framework of existing bilateral agreements between the two countries.
It is worth noting that Syria is also considering joining the 'Mecca Defense Alliance' formed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan.
At the end of October, the Syrian side revealed that discussions and evaluations are underway regarding Syria's joining of this alliance. In August this year, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan signed a joint defense agreement, which stipulates that any armed attack against one of the countries will be considered an attack on all three nations.
In addition to military cooperation, both countries also signed several economic agreements on that day. The Syrian transitional government stated that the Saudi Development Fund would provide preferential loans worth over $403 million to support areas such as Syria's infrastructure and public services.
