Syria FM warns against any foreign ‘ground intervention’
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem has warned against any foreign ground intervention in his country after reports emerged that Saudi Arabia and Turkey are considering the dispatch of troops to Syria.
“Any ground intervention on Syrian territory without government authorization would amount to an aggression that must be resisted,” Muallem said at a news conference in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Saturday.
The senior Syrian official said that potential aggressors would return dead to their countries.
"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, whether they be Saudis or Turks," he warned.
On Thursday, Igor Konashenkov, Russia’s Defense Ministry spokesman, said Turkey is making "preparations for an armed invasion" of Syria.
Moscow “registers a growing number of signs of hidden preparation of the Turkish Armed Forces for active actions on the territory of Syria,” Konashenkov added.
Ankara has rejected the claim, saying it has no plan “of staging a military campaign or ground incursion in Syria.”
The Syrian foreign minister also blamed the Saudi-backed opposition delegation for the suspension of international talks aimed at finding a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Syria.
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