Syria and Saudi Arabia have signed a defence cooperation agreement, deepening a partnership that has grown rapidly since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The agreement between the two countries' defence ministries was signed on Wednesday 4 November in Riyadh, during a visit by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It was their second meeting in Saudi Arabia in less than a month. Neither government disclosed what the agreement entails.

Syria's Foreign Ministry called the defence agreement the most notable of the documents signed during the visit. The Saudi Fund for Development also signed six concessional loan agreements with Syria's Finance Ministry worth more than $403 million, to support development and service sectors in Syria.

A partnership shaped by the Houthi war

The signing comes as Saudi Arabia faces continuing missile and drone attacks from Yemen's Houthi movement, and as Riyadh seeks military support from allies across the region. Reuters reported last month that Syria was weighing providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia, and a Syrian diplomat said at the time that any such request would go through official channels and within the framework of bilateral agreements.

Sharaa's government has emerged as a close ally of Saudi Arabia and the United States since rebels led by Sharaa toppled Assad, an ally of Iran, in 2024. Syria's foreign minister has said Damascus is weighing whether to join the mutual defence pact signed in Mecca in August by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.

The kingdom has played a key role in re-establishing Damascus' ties with world powers, and has been providing financial assistance to Syria. The loan package agreed on Wednesday covers health, housing, civil defence, power and drinking water projects.