Syria is aiding Riyadh with military advice and training as Saudi Arabia comes under attack by ​Yemen's Houthis, and has sent a limited number of military personnel to the kingdom, two Syrian military sources and a senior US official said.

Axar.az reports, citing Reuters, that Saudi Arabia has ‌been locked in worsening hostilities with the Iran-allied Houthis since July, when the Yemen war was reignited by the wider conflict in the Middle East, leading Riyadh to seek both defensive and offensive support from a range of allies.

The senior US official said advisers and training teams from Syria - where fighters became battle-hardened in years of war - were travelling to Saudi Arabia to help train Saudi and Yemeni units inside the kingdom to improve their ​combat effectiveness.

The two Syrian sources, who have direct knowledge of the matter, said scores of military personnel had gone from Syria to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. They ​said advisory and training work was involved, but that their mandate could be broader.

In response to a request for comment, a senior Syrian diplomat ⁠said "any suggestion of military deployments at this stage is premature", and that Syria's focus remained on internal security, protecting its borders and reconstruction.