The Saudi move is definitely connected to the Harriri step down.(Lebanon). Israel’s massive aerial military exercises (Lebanon/Syria) The IDF move on the Syrian village, Natural Gas resources in Lebanese waters, coveted by Israel. Are we looking at the ground readying for expanded war? Too early to say, but, definitely cannot be discounted out of handFollowing up on previous post: Saad Harriri Informed of Assassination Plot Before Resignation? Press Tv- Haririr resignation
“So now we have to wait and see in the couple weeks to come if this actually will be translated into an actual war against the resistance axis in the entire Middle East specifically Hezbollah in Lebanon or if this is just some sort of a maneuvering to mainly prepare Saad Hariri for the upcoming parliamentary elections”
Keeping in mind all the other happenings of the past day or so:*Israel's largest aerial training exercises ever. Alongside 7 other nations
Israeli soldiers, along with seven foreign delegations, on Sunday begin the largest international aerial training exercise in the history of the Israeli Air Force (IAF)
*Syrian success in Deir Ez Zor and IDF intention to move on Druze village in Syria
Tensions along the Syrian-Israeli border due to an incident in the Syrian Druze village of Khader – (Flashback: IDF to "Defend" Druze Village in Syrian Territory) were the latest shock waves from recent dramatic developments in Syria and the broader Middle East.
* Now let's get to the Saudi Purge/Consolidation- Keeping in mind the divide in the Saudi ruling clans has been discussed on a number of occasions here at the blog.NYT’s
LONDON — A midnight blitz of arrests ordered by the crown prince of Saudi Arabia over the weekend has ensnared dozens of its most influential figures, including 11 of his royal cousins, in what by Sunday appeared to be the most sweeping transformation in the kingdom’s governance for more than eight decades.The arrests, ordered by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman without formal charges or any legal process, were presented as a crackdown on corruption.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, centerThis move has zero to do with corruption, clearly.
They (arrests/roundup) caught both the kingdom’s richest investor, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, and the most potent remaining rival to the crown prince’s power: Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah, a favored son of the late King Abdullah.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal in Riyadh in 2014. He is best known for his investments in brand-name Western companies
Prince Abdulla had been removed from his post as chief of a major security service just hours before the arrests announced late Saturday night.All members of the royal family were barred from leaving the country.With the new detentions, Crown Prince Mohammed, King Salman’s favored son and key adviser, now appears to have established control over all three Saudi security services — the military, internal security services and national guardIn the same stroke, the crown prince has cowed businessmen and royals across the kingdom by taking down the undisputed giant of Saudi finance. And over the last several weeks he has ordered enough high-profile arrests of intellectuals and clerics to frighten the remainder of the academic and religious establishment into acceding to his will as well.
Apolitical scholars who used to speak freely in cafes now look nervously over their shoulders, as Crown Prince Mohammed has achieved a degree of dominance that no ruler has attained for generations.“It is the coup de grâce of the old system,” said Chas W. Freeman, a former United States ambassador. “Gone. All power has now been concentrated in the hands of Mohammad bin Salman.”
President Trump on Sunday appeared to give a tacit endorsement of the arrests in a phone call with King Salman. A White House summary of the call contained no references to the arrests, and said Mr. Trump had praised Crown Prince Mohammed for other matters.Three White House advisers, including the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, returned just days ago from the latest in at least three high-level Trump administration visits to Saudi Arabia this year.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, plus at least 10 other princes, four ministers and many former ministers were arrested Saturday night.It's billed as a corruption crackdown but it's a major power grab from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and sure to cause a backlash.Bin Talal controls Kingdom Holdings and is worth $18 billion. He's the largest shareholder of Citigroup, second-largest of 21st Century Fox and done several business deals with Trump.Also arrested was Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim who owns the Middle East Broadcasting Center, which is a major television company that includes Al Arabiya.Also yesterday, Saudi Arabia intercepted a missile near Riyadh, that it said was fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. Jared Kushner was also in Saudi Arabia in October. Trump this weekend also tweeted about listing the Aramco IPO on the NYSE.
Not all of that can be a coincidence.
*And speaking of ...no way in hell is this helicopter crash part of all the aformentioned coincidences!!!
Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, the deputy governor of Asir province, was travelling with several officials when the helicopter crashed, Al-Ikhbariya news channel said.The cause of the crash is unknown.
Prince Mansour bin Muqrin, who died in the crash, is the son of another former crown prince. His father, Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz, was pushed aside by his half-brother King Salman a few months after he took the throne in 2015.
*Convenient, but not a coincidence!Flashback:Rebuilding Raqqa: Strengthening Terror Armies with "construction" contracts
Saudi Arabia’s Gulf Affairs Minister Thamer Al-Sabhan has visited the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, which was liberated from Daesh fighters earlier this week, to discuss plans for the reconstruction of the region,
Flashback: Saudi Arabia’s New Crown Prince is Good for US and Israel- Bad for Qatar
Flashback: Saudi Arabia and Shamoon 2
Earlier today: