Syria and Saudi Arabia sign defence deal and $403m in loan agreements

Syria and Saudi Arabia signed a defence cooperation agreement and arranged $403m in Saudi development loans during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh on Wednesday. Al-Sharaa and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman oversaw the signing of the agreements, which include support for Syria’s energy, housing, healthcare and infrastructure sectors.

The trip was al-Sharaa’s second to the Saudi capital in less than a month. Syria’s Foreign Ministry identified the agreement between the two defence ministries as the most significant of the deals announced during the visit, although it released no details of its terms.

The signing followed comments by Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani that Damascus was considering joining a mutual defence pact involving Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan. Speaking on Saturday at the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain, al-Shaibani said discussions were taking place to assess Syria’s possible participation in what he called the “Mecca alliance”.

Saudi Arabia has sought defensive and offensive assistance from the United States and countries across Europe and the Middle East amid a renewed war against Yemen’s Houthis. The group has struck Saudi airports and oil facilities while battling forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government for control of Yemen.

During the Riyadh talks, al-Sharaa and Prince Mohammed also addressed regional and international developments, according to a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement posted on X. Their discussions covered the consequences of military escalation for regional security, international shipping, dependable energy supplies and global economic stability. Both called for tensions to be reduced and disputes resolved peacefully, urging an immediate halt to actions endangering navigation in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb strait and the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi Fund for Development agreed to extend the loans on concessional terms through six agreements with Syria’s Finance Ministry, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The financing includes $100m for rebuilding and equipping damaged healthcare facilities, $60m for housing repairs and $105m to strengthen civil defence. Another $90m is designated for rehabilitation of the Aleppo thermal power plant, while $30m will support drinking water systems in Damascus and Idlib.

The governments also signed memorandums of understanding covering industrial cooperation, agriculture and environmental protection, according to the Saudi agency.

Saudi Arabia has been a major supporter of Syria’s government since al-Sharaa took power following Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow in December 2024. Al-Sharaa and Prince Mohammed previously met in Riyadh on October 6. The Syrian presidency said those talks addressed reconstruction plans, including the restoration of damaged infrastructure and essential facilities.