Alwaght- The United Arab Emirates has joined the bandwagon of Arab dictatorial monarchies that have announced readiness to send ground troops Syria on the pretext of fighting ISIS terrorists group.
The UAE’s preparedness to participate in a ground military operation in Syria was confirmed by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash, who said that "US leadership on this" would be a prerequisite.
The UAE is following the footsteps of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain which have declared that they are ready to invade Syria using ground forces.
The three countries are already participating in the aerial bombing campaign spearheaded by Washington. The US however has repeatedly said it would not send ground troops to fight Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and wants the Arab nations to do the fighting on the ground.
The Syrian government warned that any foreign army entering Syria without an invitation would be considered an enemy and resisted.
"Let no one think they can attack Syria or violate its sovereignty because I assure you any aggressor will return to their country in a wooden coffin," Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Saturday.
Russia, which is providing air support to the Syrian government army in a campaign separate from the US-led coalition, dismissed the Saudi statement, pointing out the lack of progress in its other ongoing military operation in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia sent its warplanes and troops to the neighboring country to fight against the the popular Ansarullah movement. The intervention, which the UAE is supporting militarily, resulted in significant civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis, but has not seen a military victory.
Iran says Riyadh lacks the courage to deliver on the premise.
"(The Saudis) have made such a claim, but I don't think they are brave enough to do so ... Even if they send troops, they would be definitely defeated ... it would be suicide,” Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards IRGC Commander Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari said.
Another IRGC commander has said Saudi Arabia’s plan for the deployment of ground troops to Syria sounds more like a “political joke.”
The Saudi ground forces will not be capable of combating Takfiri terrorists in Syria, Brigadier General Hossein Salami, second-in-command of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said in a live televised interview Saturday night.
This is a psychological warfare carried out by the Saudi regime with specific goals in an attempt to portray itself as a fighter against terrorism and divert attention from its deadly aggression against Yemen, Salami stated.