Saudi Arabia: Aircraft Dispatched To Turkish Air Base

February 14, 2016 | 14:09 GMT

Saudi Arabia has deployed warplanes to a Turkey's Incirlik air base to intensify its operations against the Islamic State in Syria, a senior Saudi defense official said, France24 reported Feb. 14. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Feb. 13 that Saudi jets would be deployed at Incirlik, and that the two countries could participate in ground operations against Islamic State in Syria. However, Syrian President Bashar al Assad's government last week warned that its forces would resist any ground intervention. The Saudi defense official also said the decision to deploy an unspecified number of jets to Turkey was made in coordination with U.S.-led, anti-Islamic State coalition members, and that a ground operation was being planned as well. Turkey has hit Kurdish and Syrian loyalist positions in northern Syria, further complicating efforts to end the war after world powers on Feb. 12 agreed to begin a cease-fire in the coming week