Saudi Arabia and Syria signed a defense cooperation agreement and six loans with favorable terms worth more than $403 million during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s visit to Riyadh on Wednesday, November 4, while the defense pact’s terms were not disclosed.
Al-Sharaa met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It was al-Sharaa’s second visit to the Saudi capital in less than a month. Syria’s Foreign Ministry described the defense agreement as the most notable of the agreements.
Neither side publicly explained what military cooperation it covers. The signing came days after Syria’s foreign minister said Damascus was considering joining a mutual-defense arrangement involving Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan. The Saudi Fund for Development signed six loans offering favorable terms with Syria’s Finance Ministry to support energy, water, health, housing, emergency services and government finance.
The largest amounts include $105 million for civil-defense services, $100 million for health facilities, $90 million for the Aleppo thermal power plant, $60 million for housing repairs and $30 million for drinking-water systems. The first phase of the housing program aims to repair as many as 10,000 damaged homes. The water project will fund 300,000 smart meters.
The agreements add economic and reconstruction support to growing Saudi-Syrian ties. However, the defense deal’s practical scope remains unclear.