Syria is preparing to join the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, the mutual defense pact between Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, according to a report by Associated Press published on Sunday.
Two Syrian officials told the agency that Damascus has already made its decision but has kept it quiet. Another official from the region said membership talks are still under way, suggesting the arrangement is not yet finalized.
Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, publicly confirmed at the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain on October 31, that Syria was discussing a potential entry.
A Syrian diplomatic source later told state news agency SANA that closer military ties with Riyadh could eventually lead to a mutual defense deal or full membership, depending on shared interests.
The pact, signed in Makkah on August 7, treats an armed attack on one member as an attack on all, and also provides for intelligence sharing, defense production, training and joint exercises. Its signatories call it defensive and say it is open to other states that respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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Turkiye’s parliament approved it last week, with opposition lawmakers warning it may drag Ankara into conflicts involving Riyadh or Islamabad. The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee said any Turkish combat deployment abroad would still need parliamentary authorization.
Syria’s interest comes as Saudi Arabia faces renewed attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. Fighting resumed in July after years of relative calm, and debris from a Houthi attack damaged an Aramco office tower in Riyadh on Sunday.
One Syrian official told AP that about 600 Syrian special forces were expected in Saudi Arabia this week for deployment near the Yemeni border.
Al-Shaibani, however, pushed back on these reports on Monday, telling reporters Syria has no troops in Yemen and no plans to send any soon. He described the Saudi military agreement as part of rebuilding Syria’s armed forces and said any overseas deployment would be announced publicly.
Riyadh and Damascus signed a military cooperation agreement during President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s November 4 visit to Saudi Arabia, though its terms were not released.
Saudi Arabia also pledged more than $400 million in financing for Syrian housing, health, energy and infrastructure. Riyadh has been a key backer of Syria’s recovery since al-Sharaa’s forces toppled Bashar al-Assad, an Iran ally, in December 2024.
