Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, a former al-Qaeda member, said on Saturday that Damascus was considering joining the Mecca defense pact, the new military alliance between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Turkey.
“Discussions are currently underway to evaluate Syria’s entry into the Mecca alliance,” al-Shaibani said at the Manama Dialogue conference in Bahrain.
Al-Shaibani’s comments come several weeks after several media outlets reported that Syria was considering sending troops to Yemen to help Saudi Arabia fight Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis.
The Syrian government denied the reports and said its plan is to focus on Syria’s internal situation, but the country’s potential membership in the Mecca defense pact could draw it into the war. Both Pakistan and Turkey have pledged support for Saudi Arabia’s war, though so far there’s no indication that they are aiding in offensive operations against Ansar Allah.
Axios reported that Syria’s potential Yemen deployment could specifically include a military unit known to be full of foreign jihadists who previously fought under the umbrella of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the al-Qaeda offshoot that took power in December 2024 after the ousting of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Like Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, al-Shaibani was a founding member of the al-Nusra Front, Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate that became HTS when it rebranded to gain more international support in the war against Assad. According to a February 2025 Pentagon Inspector General report, al-Shaibani managed the group and oversaw its transition into HTS.
