Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations belong to an international coalition brought together by the US to fight Sunni militants from the Islamic State (IS) group, which has captured a swathe of territory in Iraq and Syria.
Riyadh launched air strikes against IS in September but a Western diplomatic source said the number of Saudi sorties is now “not as many as it has been before.”
The kingdom has agreed to launch with the US a facility for training and equipping vetted members of the moderate armed opposition from Syria, under a long planned effort to take on the IS militants.
– Yemen’s instability –
The jihadists as well as the Western backed Free Syrian Army are fighting President Bashar al Assad’s Syrian regime, which is supported by Tehran backed Hezbollah troops.
Riyadh, supporting the rebellion, had been angered that the US appeared to sideline moves to reach a political solution under which Assad would give up power.
But a senior State Department official insisted: “We’re working very closely in Syria with our partners in the Gulf to confront not only ISIL (IS), but to make very clear that we believe that we won’t see peace and security in Syria unless there is a change in the regime in Damascus.”
The US military’s top officer, General Martin Dempsey, told American lawmakers on Wednesday it was possible special operations forces could eventually be sent to Syria to back up American-trained rebels.
Washington was quick to stress though that Dempsey was talking about a “hypothetical” situation as moderate opposition forces have not yet been trained.
Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia, has also been a source of growing regional instability since the Huthi militia seized power in the capital Sanaa in February.
Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states are deeply suspicious of the Huthis, fearing they will take Yemen into Iran’s orbit.
The US closed its embassy in Sanaa after the Huthi takeover, and is now preparing to base its ambassador out of the US consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Kerry will also meet with new Saudi King Salman, following up on their first talks after the January 23 death of his predecessor Abdullah.
The top US diplomat was part of a heavyweight delegation led by President Barack Obama which held talks in Riyadh five days after Salman acceded to the throne.
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