The Syrian foreign minister has warned that any foreign troops who enter Syria without consent would “return home in wooden coffins.” Walid al-Muallem’s statement appears to be a response to Saudi Arabia’s indication that it may send ground troops to fight in the Syrian conflict, if the US-led coalition approved of it.
At a news conference on Saturday, Muallem was asked about Saudi Arabia’s plans, to which he responded, “with the crazy Saudi leadership nothing is far-fetched.”
“Any ground intervention in Syria, without the consent of the Syrian government, will be considered an aggression that should be resisted by every Syrian citizen,” he said. “I regret to say that they will return home in wooden coffins.”
He also indicated that the Syrian government was making successful advances in the five-year conflict, suggesting that the war may be coming to a close.
“Like it or not, our battlefield achievements indicate that we are headed towards the end of the crisis,” he said.
Iran has also apparently weighed in on Saudi’s statements, with Fars news agency quoting Mohammad Ali Jafari, a commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as doubting Saudi’s military ability.
“They talk big,” he said. “But even if it happens, it won't be bad because they would be definitely defeated.”
