Syria, Saudi Arabia sign defence cooperation deal, agree $403m in loans

Defence cooperation deal signed as Syria’s President al-Sharaa visits Riyadh for the second time in less than a month.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa ​meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, November 4, 2026 [Saudi News Agency/ Handout via Reuters]

Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have overseen the signing of several agreements, including a defence cooperation deal, and more than $403m in Saudi loans for Syria’s energy, housing, health and infrastructure sectors.

The agreements were signed on Wednesday, during al-Sharaa’s second visit to Riyadh in less than a month.

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Syria’s Foreign Ministry called the cooperation agreement between the two countries’ defence ministries the “most notable” of the deals. But it did not disclose the terms.

The defence agreement came days after Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said his government was weighing whether to join a mutual defence pact among Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan.

“Discussions are currently under way to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” al-Shaibani said on Saturday at the Manama Dialogue, a security conference in Bahrain.

Saudi Arabia has sought help from the United States and countries in Europe and the Middle East for both defensive and offensive support, in a renewed war against the Houthis in Yemen. The group has attacked airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia as it fights forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government for control of the country.

In its statement on X, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said al-Sharaa and Prince Mohammed had discussed the “current regional and international situation” during their talks in Riyadh.

That included the effects of military escalation on regional security, the safety of international shipping, the reliability of energy supplies and the stability of the global economy, it said.

The two men called for de-escalation and the peaceful resolution of disputes. They also urged an “immediate cessation of all actions that threaten the security of maritime navigation” in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Strait of Hormuz, the statement added.

During al-Sharaa’s visit, the Saudi Fund for Development also agreed to provide $403m in loans under six agreements with Syria’s Finance Ministry, on concessional terms, the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

They include $100m to rebuild and equip damaged healthcare facilities, $60m to repair damaged housing, $105m to strengthen civil defence, $90m to rehabilitate the Aleppo thermal power plant and $30m to develop drinking water systems in Damascus and Idlib, the agency said.

The two governments also signed a memorandum of understanding on industrial cooperation and two more on agriculture and environmental protection, it added.

Saudi Arabia has been a key backer of Syria’s government since al-Sharaa came to power after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The two leaders last met in Riyadh on October 6.

According to the Syrian presidency, they discussed plans for Syria’s reconstruction at that meeting, including rebuilding damaged infrastructure and essential facilities.

叙利亚总统沙拉在不到一个月的时间里第二次访问利雅得，双方签署了防务合作协议。

2026年11月4日，叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉在沙特阿拉伯利雅得会见沙特王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼。[沙特通讯社/路透社供图]

叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉和沙特阿拉伯王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼共同见证了多项协议的签署，其中包括一项国防合作协议，以及沙特阿拉伯向叙利亚的能源、住房、卫生和基础设施部门提供的超过 4.03 亿美元的贷款。

这些协议是在周三签署的，这是沙拉在不到一个月的时间里第二次访问利雅得。

胡塞武装对塔伊兹长达一个月的围困给被困的也门人带来苦难（列表1/3）

也门政府军声称控制了具有战略意义的焦夫山脉（共3条记录中的第2条）。

也门政府指责伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队和真主党派遣21名专家支持胡塞武装（名单3/3）

叙利亚外交部称两国国防部签署的合作协议是所有协议中“最引人注目”的一项，但并未透露协议条款。

就在叙利亚外交部长阿萨德·沙伊巴尼表示叙利亚政府正在考虑是否加入沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和巴基斯坦之间的共同防御条约几天后，这项防务协议达成了。

“目前正在进行讨论，以评估叙利亚加入麦加联盟的可能性，”沙伊巴尼周六在巴林举行的马纳马对话安全会议上表示。

沙特阿拉伯已向美国以及欧洲和中东国家寻求防御和进攻方面的支持，以应对也门境内与胡塞武装的再度战争。胡塞武装在与也门国际公认政府的武装力量争夺也门控制权的过程中，袭击了沙特阿拉伯的机场和石油设施。

叙利亚外交部在关于X的声明中表示，沙拉和穆罕默德王子在利雅得会谈期间讨论了“当前的地区和国际形势”。

报告称，这包括军事升级对地区安全、国际航运安全、能源供应可靠性和全球经济稳定的影响。

声明还补充说，这两名男子呼吁缓和局势，和平解决争端。他们还敦促“立即停止一切威胁红海、曼德海峡和霍尔木兹海峡海上航行安全的行动”。

据沙特官方通讯社报道，在沙拉访问期间，沙特发展基金还同意根据与叙利亚财政部签署的六项协议，以优惠条件提供 4.03 亿美元的贷款。

该机构表示，这些资金包括1亿美元用于重建和装备受损的医疗设施，6000万美元用于修复受损的住房，1.05亿美元用于加强民防，9000万美元用于修复阿勒颇火力发电厂，以及3000万美元用于在大马士革和伊德利卜开发饮用水系统。

声明还补充说，两国政府还签署了一份关于产业合作的谅解备忘录，以及另外两份关于农业和环境保护的谅解备忘录。

自2024年12月巴沙尔·阿萨德政权被推翻后，沙特总统沙拉上台以来，沙特阿拉伯一直是叙利亚政府的主要支持者。两位领导人最近一次会晤是在10月6日于利雅得。

据叙利亚总统府称，他们在会晤中讨论了叙利亚重建计划，包括重建受损的基础设施和重要设施。