UAE ‘ready to send ground troops to fight Islamic State’

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said there’s a risk of a “dangerous escalation” in Syria. “Our stance has not changed”, he said.

Tehran provides military advisers to Assad s army, as well as organising Iranian, Afghan and Iraqi “volunteers” to fight rebels in Syria.

“Turkey is enthusiastic about this option (of ground troops) since the Russians started their air operation and tried to push Turkey outside the equation”, Alani added.

Salman did not elaborate, but his remarks seemed aimed at Iran, which Riyadh accuses of destabilising Arab states and spreading sectarianism by backing militias in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen and fomenting unrest in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

“We are talking about a ground element”, he said. Now Saudi Arabia seems prepared to deploy soldiers to fight a ground war against the group.

“Any ground intervention onto Syrian land without the agreement of the Syrian government is an act of aggression…”

“We did not stop our operation in Syria in spite of the operation we have in Yemen”, Assiri said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said thousands of Syrians have arrived at seven of the main informal camps close to the Turkish border.

Saudi Arabia, with 20 to 25 percent of global oil reserves, is one of the world’s top oil producers, along with the U.S. and Russian Federation.

“(The Saudis) have made such a claim but I don’t think they are fearless enough to do so …

The anti-Daesh worldwide coalition should include US-led ground troops, Felesteen newspaper reported the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saying yesterday.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem speaks during a news conference at the Syrian Foreign Ministry in Damascus, in this still image taken from video shot on February 6, 2016. “And the aggressors will return to their countries in wooden boxes”, al-Moallem warned. Saudi Arabia may not support IS, but it has helped other rebel groups that espouse similar values.

“I can say, from the achievements for our armed forces … that we are now on track to end the conflict”, he said.

Announcement comes after Syria issues threat, warning to send back any unwelcome foreign troops “in coffins”.

On Thursday, Saudi Brig.