With rebel forces facing the prospect of a crushing defeat by Syria’s Russian-backed regime, their allies Saudi Arabia and Turkey may send in limited numbers of ground troops, analysts say.
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The United Arab Emirates said it was ready to send ground troops to fight with an worldwide military coalition against the Islamic State group in Syria, a high ranking official said Sunday.
“We have been frustrated at the slow pace… of confronting Daesh”, he added, referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym.
Asiri said in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia only announced its willingness to participate in any ground operations against ISIS that the global coalition may agree to carry out in Syria because it has a serious desire to defeat the terrorist organisation. “Of course an American leadership in this effort is also a prerequisite”.
Walid al-Moallem’s comments capped a week that saw the collapse of the latest U.N-led Syria peace efforts and a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive near the city of Aleppo that sent thousands of residents fleeing toward Turkey.
“I don t think they would dare do that…”
“They thought that through support and financial aid they could make gains in Syria but the recent victories by the resistance front have disrupted all of their calculations”, Jafari said. The IS has also lost two thirds of its control over border areas between Syria and Turkey since previous year due to the military campaign, according to the pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV.
The conflict in Syria is escalating again. Launched on September 22, the US-led airstrikes have failed to deliver expect results, with ISIS still dominating large swaths of Syria and Iraq.
An Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has warned Saudi Arabia over any possible military intervention in Syria.
“Any ground intervention onto Syrian land without the agreement of the Syrian government is an act of aggression…and we regret that those (who do so) will return to their countries in coffins”, he said.
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He noted that a follow up meeting with his Saudi counterpart will take place in Munich, Germany, on Thursday, at an worldwide meeting proposed by Moscow.
