Fifty-five clerics and academicians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have reportedly issued a call for jihad against Russia to protect the so-called Islamic State (Isis). They have asked "true Muslims" from across the globe to answer the call of Jihad and leave for Syria to fight for the Islamic State (Isis), according to Al Arabiya.

"The holy warriors of Syria are defending the whole Islamic nation. Trust them and support them ... because if they are defeated, God forbid, it will be the turn of one Sunni country after another," the clerics said in a statement.

According a Reuters report, the Saudi clerics behind the fatwa though are not part of the KSA government, their "strong sectarian and anti-Christian language" was a reflection of the anger among the Saudi nationals over the involvement of the Russians and Iranians in the Syrian war.

The Saudi clerics in their statement emphasised that Muslims and Arabs should "give all moral, material, political and military" support to Isis to fight the Russia-led Shi'ite and Orthodox Christian crusade against the Sunni Muslims.

A Jihad Watch report noted this was a clear reflection of the stance of most Saudis and this is the reason "why the Saudis have not moved energetically against the Islamic State themselves: if they did, they could be facing an internal uprising from Saudis who believe the Islamic State to be manifesting authentic Islam."

Russia launched a massive air campaign against the Syrian rebels including the Isis terrorists in Syria on 30 September. Since then it is reported that more than 3,000 rebels including Isis fighters have fled Syria.

In a latest development, Russia is now also coordinating with Iranian soldiers and Hezbollah to launch a major ground attack against the Syrian rebels.