Having realized the imminent threat ISIS poses to the survival of Saudi Arabia, with a series of suicide attacks in different parts of the country, a general from the kingdom said they are seriously mulling the option to join the US-led ground operation against the Islamic State group in Syria.

ISIS, locally known as Daesh, have termed rulers of Saudi Arabia as one of their main targets. They seem to have escalated their attempts to target the country by sending in suicide bombers.

Apparently, in order to bring civil disrupt in the country, the suicide attacks have mainly targeted Shia mosques.

They Saudi higher ups have sensed this grave danger in their backyard and hence have decided to take fight to the ISIS in their home Syria before it is too late.

Since late 2014 Saudi Arabia has been part of a US-led coalition which officially has 65 members and has been bombing the Islamic State Sunni extremist group which seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.

However, until recently the Saudi Arabia was believed to not have been taking the ISIS threat as seriously has it merited.

US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said in January that several members of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria are doing “nothing at all” to help destroy the jihadists.

“If there is any willingness in the coalition to go in the ground operation, we will contribute positively in that,” Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri told AFP.

Assiri is spokesperson for a separate Saudi-led Arab coalition which, since March, has conducted airstrikes and ground operations in Yemen.

That coalition supports the government there in its fight against Huthi rebels who seized much of the country and are backed by the kingdom’s regional rival Iran.

Iran is also one of the main allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose regime has been fighting an insurgency for about five years.

Saudi Arabia supports more moderate rebels against Assad’s forces.

Russia launched its own strikes in Syria in late September and Iran has reportedly sent hundreds of troops to support Assad’s regime.

Critics – including in the West and Sunni Arab Gulf nations – have accused Russia of targeting moderate rebel forces as well as jihadists.

US senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham have called for 100 000 foreign soldiers, most from Sunni regional states but also including Americans, to fight ISIS in Syria.

Assiri’s comment came as regime troops pressed a major Russian-backed offensive around Syria’s second city Aleppo following the suspension of peace talks.

Western nations accused Syria’s regime of damaging the talks with its military offensive, and Washington on Thursday demanded Russia halt its bombing campaign in support of Assad’s government.

The growing offensive around Aleppo this week overshadowed peace and aid efforts, as regime forces sought to build on a series of important gains since Russia launched air strikes in September.

Additional reporting by agencies