Syria regime warns against any foreign ground ‘aggression’

The Saudi military adviser to the defence minister Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri announced that Saudi Arabia is ready to participate in any ground operations that the worldwide coalition against ISIS may agree on undertaking in Syria.

Saudi Arabia’s fresh public willingness to send ground troops into Syria is drawing ridicule from the kingdom’s chief regional rival.

Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said Thursday in a statement that the Russian military has registered “a growing number of signs of hidden preparation of the Turkish armed forces for active actions on the territory of Syria”.

He called on rebel fighters to “come to their senses” and lay down their weapons.

‘Any ground intervention on Syrian land without the agreement of the Syrian government is an act of aggression… we regret that those (who invade) will return to their countries in coffins, ‘ al-Moualem told journalists.

He repeated the line three times during the one-hour press conference, saying it applies to anyone who attacks Syria with ground troops.

The Gulf kingdom severed all ties with Iran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, Iran’s second city, following Riyadh’s execution of Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Saudi Shia cleric and activist.

The official’s warning came in response to the United States welcoming reaction to Saudi Arabia’s offer to send ground troops to Syria and Russia’s subsequent warning that Saudi Arabia’s proposed troop deployment in Syria would be regarded as a declaration of war.

The peace talks in Geneva had a rocky start this week – with both the government and opposition denying that they had even formally begun.

“Saudi Arabia will not commit its troops to Syria because Riyadh is involved in the war in Yemen”.

They Saudi higher ups have sensed this grave danger in their backyard and hence have made a decision to take fight to the ISIS in their home Syria before it is too late.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi previously described the country as the “head of the snake and stronghold of disease” a few years ago. He said the process will resume February 25.

He alleged the opposition never meant to negotiate seriously.

“This is because their forces are in the form of a classis army and history has proven that they do not have the ability (to enter asymmetric war)”, he said.

The main Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, accused Russian Federation of crimes against humanity because of the mass displacement of civilians from Aleppo.