Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Amid an upsurge in regional turmoil centering on Iraq and Syria, Saudi King Abdullah has again fired his de facto defense chief. On June 28, Abdullah issued a decree that dismissed Deputy Defense Minister Prince Bandar Bin Abdul Aziz. This marked the second time in as many months that […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — The Saudi royal family is torn by increasing tension over the prospect of succession. Arab diplomatic sources said dissension within the family’s 6,000 princes has reached a fever pitch as King Abdullah, believed to be 96, prepares for an imminent succession. For the first time, the princes have expressed […]
Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — Saudi Arabia has displayed intermediate-range ballistic missiles procured from China nearly 30 years ago and maintained with Pakistani assistance. The Saudi military exhibited the CSS-2 missiles, designed to strike targets at a distance of up to 2,650 kilometers at a ceremony that ended the Abdullah Sword exercise on April 29. […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — On the day before the visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, Saudi Arabia has named its deputy prime minister to a position that placed him in line for the monarchy. King Abdullah has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Prince Muqrin Bin Abdul Aziz to deputy crown prince. Under the appointment, […]
Special to WorldTribune.com GIS/Defense & Foreign Affairs staff in Islamabad Saudi Arabia’s concern over the growing regional strategic dominance of Iran rose to unprecedented levels when the U.S. Barack Obama Administration abandoned support for the Saudi, Turkish, and Qatari plans to escalate the war against Iranian ally Syria in 2013. Instead the White House began […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have decided to enhance security cooperation. The two Muslim allies have signed what was described as major security cooperation accords during the three-day visit by Saudi Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz. Officials said the agreements would facilitate the extradition of suspects and the employment […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has announced a crackdown on the Internet in an effort to foil those deemed terrorists. The Saudi government approved a cyber crime bill that would prosecute those suspected of links to insurgency groups. Officials said the legislation was part of a Gulf Cooperation Council strategy to stop […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Defense Minister Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has been named the next crown prince of Saudi Arabia. Salman, 76, was named heir to the crown on June 18 two days after the death of his predecessor and brother, Nayef. The appointment of Salman, who retained his post as defense […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Saudi Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdul Aziz has died, setting the stage for possible power struggles in the Gulf Arab kingdom. Nayef, appointed crown prince less than a year ago, died from heart and other ailments in Switzerland on June 16. The 79-year-old had been sidelined throughout 2012 in […]
Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has named one of the last surviving sons of the kingdom’s founder as defense minister. King Abdullah has named Prince Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, 76, the kingdom’s defense minister. Salman, the longtime governor of Riyad, would succeed the late Crown Prince Sultan, who held the defense portfolio […]