It is narrated from Sayyiduna Wathilah bin al-Asqa' (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The people will be formed into armies: an army in Yemen, an army in Syria, an army in the East, and an army in the West." A man said: O Messenger of Allah, I am a young man, and perhaps I will live to see that; so which of them do you command me to join? He said: "Hold fast to Syria, for it is Allah's chosen land among His lands; He drives to it His chosen ones among His servants. Hold fast to Syria, for Allah has guaranteed for me Syria and its people. Whoever refuses, let him go to his Yemen."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الواو / 18350