Saudi Arabia and Syria sign defense cooperation deal during al-Sharaa visit to Riyadh

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa visited Riyadh and signed a defense cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia; details were not announced, but a Syrian diplomat said it covers advisory support, training and expertise exchange. Reuters (Nov 6) reported, citing two Syrian military sources and a senior US official, that a limited number of Syrian personnel have gone to the kingdom; a Syrian diplomat called talk of deployments premature. The Saudi Fund for Development also signed six concessional-loan agreements with Syria worth over $403 million.