The Persian Gulf countries should pray for Syrian President Bashar Assad who can stop the Islamic State militant group, deputy Russian Security Council chief Yevgeny Lukyanov said on Wednesday.
"I believe that countries of this region - Saudi Arabia, Persian Gulf states and may be others should pray for Bashar Assad. This is the last frontier of their security. If the Assad regime falls, then the IS next goal will be Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states," Lukyanov said.
Some 5,000 Saudi nationals are part of the IS, he said, adding: "When the active phase of confrontation ends there, where will they go? They will come back [home]. What can they do? They can only kill people," he said.