Saudi King Salman on Monday swore in new officials to take over from a powerful Prince and former Minister believed to be detained in a large-scale sweep that has shocked the country and upended long-standing traditions within the ruling family.
The official Saudi Press Agency released images of the King swearing in new National Guard chief Prince Khalid bin Ayyaf al-Muqrin and new Economy and Planning Minister Mohammad al-Tuwaijri.
Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who for the past four years had led the National Guard, and Adel Fakeih, who was Minister of Economy since April, were both reportedly arrested as part of a purported anti-corruption probe led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Prince Miteb was once considered a contender for the throne, though he has not been thought of recently as a challenger to Prince Mohammed. The arrests began late on Saturday. Eleven Princes and 38 officials and businessmen are reportedly being held at five-star hotels across the capital, Riyadh.
King meets Hariri
The King was also pictured meeting Lebanon’s outgoing Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, who unexpectedly resigned during a trip to Saudi Arabia. The photos of their meeting did little to quiet speculation over his surprising move and current status.
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, Mr. Hariri’s top political rival at home, argued on Sunday that Saudi Arabia had forced Mr. Hariri to resign amid the deepening Saudi-Iran rivalry and questioned whether Saudi Arabia had also detained him in the sweep.
Riyadh accuses Tehran
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Iran traded fierce accusations over Yemen on Monday, with Riyadh saying a rebel missile attack “may amount to an act of war” and Tehran accusing its rival of war crimes.
A Saudi-led military coalition battling Tehran-backed rebels in Yemen said it reserved the “right to respond” to the missile attack on Riyadh at the weekend, calling it a “blatant military aggression by the Iranian regime which may amount to an act of war”.
Saudi forces on Saturday intercepted and destroyed the ballistic missile near Riyadh's international airport after it was reportedly fired by the Shiite Huthi rebels from Yemen.