Saudi Arabia's military spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Assiri said on Thursday, according to Al Arabiya English, that Riyadh's decision to send troops into Syria is "final" and "irreversible" and that they are "ready" to deploy them against Islamic State (ISIS) there as part of U.S.-led efforts against that group. However he stressed that he is conveying "Saudi's [decision] only" implying that Riyadh will follow Washington's lead when it comes to any potential ground operation against ISIS in Syria. Washington has refused to rule out the prospect of Saudi Arabia sending soldiers to Syria. However it pointed out that it was just one of the available options. "There are lots of ways that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain can contribute. One of them is on the ground - and we'll definitely be discussing that - but there are lots of other ways as well," U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told reporters on Wednesday in Brussels according to The Guardian. Assiri also said that if Riyadh's main regional rival, Iran, is serious about combating terrorism in the region it must stop supporting "terrorism" in both Syria and Yemen. Saudi Arabia and Iran are backing opposing sides in the wars raging in both Yemen (where Saudi Arabia is bombing the Iranian backed Houthis) and Syria (where Saudi Arabia is supporting various armed groups opposed to Iran's ally, the regime of President Bashar al-Assad). His comments come after Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned on Wednesday that sending Saudi troops into Syria would be a "dangerous escalation". Iran also warned Turkey on Wednesday over its growing strategic ties with Saudi Arabia telling Ankara, according to Hurriyet news, to, "Be cautious! Do not bet on the loser." Riyadh-Tehran ties are at an all time low after the Saudi execution of the Saudi Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and the subsequent Iranian ransacking of the Saudi embassy in Tehran in early January. Saudi Arabia announced the formation of a 35-member coalition of Sunni Islamic nations across the world. Assiri said this new so-called Islamic Military Alliance will begin anti-terror operations in two months time.
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