BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia has signed its inaugural defense agreement with Syria since the fall of Bashar al‑Assad’s regime, a move that analysts say will likely bolster the Syrian military’s capabilities as the country seeks to rebuild its armed forces.
The pact “on cooperation between the two countries’ defense ministries” was sealed Wednesday during Syrian President Ahmad al‑Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh, according to the Saudi press agency. It was part of a broader set of governmental cooperation accords inked on the same day.
While the details remain undisclosed, experts interviewed by Breaking Defense view the agreement as a sign of deepening ties between Riyadh and Damascus. It also underscores a regional geopolitical shift, with al‑Sharaa’s government moving closer to Saudi Arabia after years of alignment with Iran under Assad.
“The agreement represents another step in Syria’s growing political, economic, and military alignment with Saudi Arabia, as Damascus aims to reconstruct its armed forces and strengthen regional partnerships,” said RANE Lead MENA and defense analyst Freddy Khoueiry.
Serhat Süha Çubukçuoğlu, director of the Turkey program at TRENDS Research & Advisory, concurred, describing the deal as “part of Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic and economic outreach to court Syria and keep it within its sphere of influence.”
The signing follows a 14‑year Syrian civil war that ended in December 2024 with the overthrow of the Assad regime. The Syrian army is now working to rebuild its capabilities while seeking to eliminate foreign military presences on its soil.
“Initially, the agreement will likely focus on military training, intelligence sharing, equipment transfers, and assistance in rebuilding Syria’s armed forces,” Khoueiry noted. “Over time, it could pave the way for more direct military cooperation, potentially including Syrian personnel supporting Saudi operations in Yemen,” he added, though he cautioned that such a development remains speculative and unlikely in the near term.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani recently indicated that Damascus is considering joining the Saudi‑Pakistani‑Turkish defense alliance known as the Mecca Pact. However, the experts interviewed did not view the new bilateral agreement as necessarily a precursor to that move.
Khoueiry emphasized that ties between Damascus and Riyadh are already expanding but left open the possibility of Syria joining the Mecca Pact by early 2027, contingent on negotiations with existing members and Damascus’s willingness to assume collective defense obligations, alongside other strategic factors.
Çubukçuoğlu was more cautious, particularly given the pact’s NATO‑style mutual defense clause, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all. He also highlighted complications arising from Israeli military operations in Syria, including the occupation of southern Syrian territory, noting that the prospect of a conflict with Israel could hinder Mecca Pact negotiations.
“I think it’s inconceivable at this point that any of these countries would enter into a war with Israel to liberate territory,” he concluded.
