Reported by:
Cherry Meigh Timbol
News Content Editor
Published November 13, 2026
RIYADH/DAMASCUS. Houthi missile and drone attacks on Riyadh continue, and reports that Syria may send troops to help Saudi Arabia are disputed. Damascus denies deploying forces to Yemen.
Attacks on the capital
Saudi air defenses intercepted Houthi missiles and drones launched toward Riyadh, Mecca and other regions on Wednesday. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca, saying their targets are oil facilities and military bases. On Thursday, the Houthis claimed attacks on Saudi Aramco in Riyadh, an oil pipeline pumping station, a facility in Yanbu and military installations, while the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone in the Riyadh area.
On Nov. 8, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry said an Aramco administrative building in Riyadh was targeted in an attempted attack, causing minor damage but no casualties. In October, an attack on King Khalid International Airport killed at least 13 people and wounded more than 300, according to reports. The Houthis have targeted Saudi airports, ports and oil facilities since hostilities resumed in July, and Saudi Arabia has carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The UN says more than 308,000 people were displaced across 10 Yemeni provinces between Aug. 1 and Nov. 4.
Conflicting accounts on Syria
Accounts of Syria’s role differ. Reuters reported on Nov. 6, citing Syrian and US sources, that Syria was giving Saudi Arabia military advice, training and small military teams, and that Washington had urged Damascus to be cautious. AP cited three officials who said Syria was preparing to send fighters to Saudi Arabia for deployment along its southern border, and a regional official said a small number of Syrian advisers were helping train Yemeni forces inside Saudi Arabia. AFP, citing Yemeni government officials, reported plans to send about 3,000 troops. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond to AP’s requests for comment.
Syria rejects the reports. On Nov. 9, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said “There is no deployment of troops to Yemen nor is there a plan for such deployment in the near future,” adding that any military plan abroad would be announced rather than done in secret.
He said a recently signed Syria-Saudi defense cooperation agreement is intended to rebuild Syria’s military. He also reaffirmed support for Riyadh and Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The sources agree that a defense agreement exists, but they differ on whether Syrian forces are in Saudi Arabia or Yemen.
