Relationship dossier
Syria
Yemen
Relationship assessment
Yemen’s civil war and Syria’s conflict produced opposing political alignments; Syria’s 2024 change of government leaves current ties uncertain.
Syria toward Yemen
-35Under Bashar al-Assad, Syria agreed in 2016 with Houthi authorities to reopen Yemen’s embassy in Damascus, engaging the rival authorities to Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Syrian policy after the 2024 change of government is unclear.
Yemen toward Syria
-35Yemen’s internationally recognized government supported the Syrian opposition during the conflict against Bashar al-Assad’s government. The extent of its engagement with Syrian authorities after the 2024 change of government is unclear.
Overall relationship
-30The relationship was shaped by competing political alignments during the Syrian and Yemeni conflicts: Yemen’s internationally recognized government supported the Syrian opposition, while Assad’s government engaged Houthi authorities. Syria’s 2024 change of government makes the current bilateral structure uncertain.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Relations became entangled with Yemen’s civil war and Syria’s own conflict. In 2016, the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad agreed with Houthi authorities to reopen Yemen’s embassy in Damascus, while Yemen’s internationally recognized government had supported the Syrian opposition. Syria’s 2024 change of government makes the present bilateral policy uncertain.
Areas of tension
- Yemen’s support for the Syrian opposition during the conflict against Bashar al-Assad’s government.
- Assad-era Syria’s engagement with Houthi authorities, who opposed Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Key developments
Yemen’s internationally recognized government supported the Syrian opposition during the conflict against Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad agreed with Houthi authorities to reopen Yemen’s embassy in Damascus.
Major uncertainties
- The Syrian government’s policy toward Yemen after the 2024 change of government is unclear.
- The scope and implementation of the 2016 embassy arrangement between Syria and Houthi authorities are unclear.
- The extent of Yemen’s government engagement with successive Syrian authorities is unclear.