Media: Riyadh urges Washington to support Syrian forces’ return to As-Suwayda

Saudi Arabia has informed the United States that Syrian security forces should be allowed to deploy in the troubled southern part of the country, despite objections from Israel.

According to Middle East Eye (MEE), this information was provided by a US official who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

The Saudi Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, reportedly told US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 17 that the kingdom supports the Syrian military’s efforts to establish control over the southern Syrian province of As-Suwayda.

The text of the phone conversation, released by the US State Department, states that the parties “discussed regional security issues, including efforts to stop the violence in Syria.”

A US official briefed on the call, along with a second source familiar with the diplomacy, told MEE on Friday that the kingdom is “angry” about Israeli attacks on Syrian soldiers and Israel dictating terms to Damascus.

Another US official in the region who has been monitoring Israeli strikes in relation to Israel’s changing position told MEE that Israel’s push to create a zone of influence in southern Syria contradicts the idea of a unified central Syria, which was outlined last week by Trump’s envoy to Syria and ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack.

“I think the President and others in the administration have made the path for Syria very clear,” the official said, referring to President Trump.

A second regional source told MEE that the US is upset by the Israeli strikes.

Israel’s intervention in the situation in As-Suwayda was especially inconvenient for the Trump administration as it came amid US pressure on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to submit to Damascus’s authority.

By Tamilla Hasanova