ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Syrian state media on Saturday denied reports that the country's military had deployed to Yemen to conduct operations against Houthi rebels, coming after AFP reported that Damascus had sent troops to both Saudi Arabia and Yemen itself.

Earlier in the day, AFP cited a source from the internationally recognized Yemeni government's Presidential Leadership Council told the outlet that "the Syrian side and the Saudi side agreed to send around 3,000 troops to fight against the Houthis," while other official sources confirmed that the deployment would take place in Yemen also.

Hundreds of Syrian fighters are reportedly already present in the two countries, with the first phase of 3,000 soldiers set to rise to 10,000 as the deployment progresses, per a Yemeni defense ministry source.

Other military officials told AFP that the Syrian personnel already in Yemen are conducting drone operations against Houthi fighters.

However, a Syrian diplomatic source later told SANA that "there is no basis for claims about sending Syrian military forces to Yemen at this time," while insisting that the nature of the military presence in Saudi Arabia falls "within the framework of cooperation in areas such as training, exchange of expertise, and military consultations."

"This cooperation could potentially develop into a joint defense agreement or Syria's accession to the Mecca Pact in the future, depending on shared interests," the source noted.

The Mecca Joint Defense Agreement is a trilateral framework between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan that pledges military support should one of the member states be attacked. Ankara and Islamabad have deployed forces to their Gulf ally, though both have ruled out any prospect of their forces conducting offensive operations in Yemen itself.

Damascus has previously spoken of its desire to participate in the burgeoning regional security framework and expressed interest in joining the Mecca Agreeement.

Saudi Arabia, which has served as a key financial backer of the post-Bashar al-Assad Syrian government, has sought to bring in allies to bolster its campaign against Yemen's Houthi rebels, which reignited after the Iran-aligned group accused Riyadh of bombing an airport in Sanaa in July to prevent an Iranian delegation from landing.

Since that juncture, the Houthis have launched a sweeping offensive that saw them seize large swatches of Red Sea coastline, ramping up pressure on Riyadh via long-range missile strikes on Saudi airports and oil infrastructure.