Saudi Arabia and allies gather for major military exercises

Saudi Arabia confirmed late on Saturday it sent aircraft to NATO-member Turkey’s Incirlik air base for the fight against Islamic State militants.

Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on February 8 that the United States welcomed a Saudi offer to deploy special forces to support a coalition ground operation against ISIL inside Syria.

“Saudi Arabia declared its determination against Daesh (the Arabic term for Isis) by saying that they were ready to send both jets and troops”, he said. The countries partaking in the coalition alongside Saudi Arabia being Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Qatar, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Togo, Tunisia, Djibouti, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Gabon, State of Palestine, Comoros Islands, Ivory Coast, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Maldives, Mali, Malaysia, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Yemen.

He stressed that in case Saudi Arabia did indeed send ground troops to Syria, it would be a “huge miscalculation” on Saudis’ part, adding “such a grave political faux pas would bring about heavy losses for Al Saud. But it is Turkey that is making the most concrete proposals”, he said. “At the moment it is not clear how many planes will come”, Cavusoglu said.

Military experts said the Syrian army is moving fast to close the borders after capturing over 90 percent of the northern countryside of Latakia and the rapid progress on the Aleppo front.

The military forces will converge at Incirlik base in the south of Turkey, just a short distance from the Syrian border.

President Bashar al-Assad has vowed to recapture the whole of Syria and keep “fighting terrorism” while also negotiating an end to the war, as global pressure mounts for a ceasefire.

“If there is a strategy (against the Islamic State jihadist group), then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a ground operation”, he said.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey are widely believed to be among major sponsors of terrorist groups operating against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

The US State Department said it was concerned about the situation north of Aleppo, was working to “de-escalate tensions on all sides” and urged Turkey to halt its strikes. “Saudi Arabia is sending planes and says, “I can send soldiers for a ground operation when it is necessary”.

After negotiations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia plans on ending some of Russia’s airstrikes in Syria, though it would continue to target “terrorist groups”, which include ISIS and Al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra.

Riyadh has deployed Patriots created to counter tactical ballistic missiles, which have been fired occasionally since March when the coalition began air strikes in support of the Yemeni government after Huthi rebels seized Sanaa and advanced towards second city Aden.