Turkey's defense minister Ismet Yilmaz has confirmed that Saudi fighter jets will be deployed to Turkey's Incirlik air base by the end of February, according to reports by Reuters and Turkish media.
“They have not come today but they may come tomorrow. But an agreement has been reached in principal and it has been said that they could come,” said Yilmaz.
In a statement last week Saudi Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Assiri said the “Saudi kingdom now has a presence at the Incirlik base in Turkey.”
Saudi jets were present last week in Turkey as they carried out reconnaissance missions in advance of the deployment.
Saudi's decision to deploy F-16 fighter jets to Turkey comes ahead of a possible ground invasion of Syria by Saudi Arabia. Incirlik air base is already an important hub for US-allied coalition members who have been carrying out airstrikes in Syria since September 2014.
