Brigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri, adviser in the office of Saudi Arabia's minister of defense, said late on Saturday that the kingdom was committed to stepping up the fighting against ISIL and that the move was part of those efforts, Reuters reported on Sunday.
The current presence in the air base was limited to aircraft and no ground troops had been sent, he said Speaking to al-Arabiya television network.
"What is present now is aircraft that are part of the Saudi Arabian forces," Assiri said in response to a question on whether ground troops were included.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Yeni Safak newspaper on Saturday that Saudi Arabia had carried out inspections at the air base in preparation to sending aircraft.