In Turkey, Saudi Arabia finds an unlikely partner against Syria

While the war in Yemen remains inconclusive, Saudi Arabia is escalating its intervention in Syria. Unlike the Yemeni theater, where the Saudis are the largest military force, the Syrian battleground will be more complex for Riyadh. The Saudis will be partnering with Turkey, and Riyadh and Ankara are not in complete agreement. Iran’s support for the Syrian government will also complicate matters, as will US nervousness about jihadists filling any vacuum left in Damascus if the government falls. Moreover, the US-led coalition operations against the Islamic State in Syria will not make the situation simpler.

Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have reportedly agreed on a deal to greatly enhance support for rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s government forces. Separately, AFP reported that Syrian opposition forces had said the Saudi kingdom wants to unite most of Syria’s rebel factions and is organizing a gathering in mid-June to this end. Meanwhile, Turkish and Qatari foreign ministers are meeting to discuss Syria and other regional issues.