Syria says any foreign troops would ‘return in coffins’

Saudi Defense Ministry spokesman General Ahmed al-Assiri told Arab media Friday that his country was ready to send ground forces to fight in Syria.

In November, Gargash said that the UAE, a member of the US-led coalition against IS, would “participate in any global effort demanding a ground intervention to fight terrorism”.

“We know that airstrikes can not be enough and that a ground operation is needed”, Brig.

However, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said at a news conference that the Middle Eastern nation would only deploy troops to war torn Syria if it was part US led assault.

The Saudi proposal was welcomed by the United States but it was ridiculed by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its key ally Iran. The move comes after a similar pledge from neighboring Saudi Arabia, Reports DW.

“I think that this has been our position throughout… that a real campaign against Daesh has to include ground elements”, he said, referring to the Islamic State group by its Arabic acronym.

The head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard said on Saturday Saudi Arabia lacked the courage to go through with a plan to send ground troops to Syria, and warned they would be wiped out if they went in. They are close allies and are the driving force behind a Saudi-led coalition fighting on the side of Yemen’s internationally recognized government against Iranian-supported Shiite rebels in Yemen.

Krieg said that with Saudi and other Gulf kingdoms “bogged down” in Yemen, he could only foresee a possible expansion of “train and equip” missions involving Gulf special forces to help rebels in Syria.

Much of Saudi Arabia and Turkey’s decision to lend ground forces in Syria will depend on what the United States decides to do.

Muallem’s comments follow the collapse of the latest UN-led Syria peace efforts and a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive near the city of Aleppo that sent thousands of residents fleeing towards Turkey.

However, news of Saudi Arabia sending ground forces into Syria has met resistance from two of the other major parties involved in the conflict – Iran and the Syrian government itself. Western nations accused Syria’s regime of damaging the talks with its military offensive, and Washington on Thursday demanded Russian Federation halt its bombing campaign in support of Assad’s government. Krieg said the “moderate” opposition is in danger of being routed if Aleppo falls to the regime, whose forces have closed in on Syria’s second city, backed by intense Russian air strikes. He said the Saudi government had indicated a willingness to do more in the fight against Islamic State, which controls vast swaths of Syria and Iraq.