Is The Yemen War The Reason Why The Saudi King Reshuffled His Succession And His Cabinet?

Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

Bruce Riedel, The Daily Beast: Yemen's War Shakes Up the Saudi Palace

King Salman’a terror-fighting nephew becomes crown prince; the king’s ambitious son, the defense minister and the face of the fight in Yemen, is now second in line to the throne.

Less than four months after ascending the throne, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has made unprecedented changes in the line of succession that benefit his own son Prince Mohammed bin Salman. These shifts come as Salman pursues the most assertive foreign policy in recent Saudi history.

The king removed the sitting Crown Prince Muqrin, his half brother, and promoted the third in line Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, his nephew, up to number two. Salman made his own son, Mohammed bin Salman, the new number three. The King also replaced the ailing foreign minister, Prince Saud al Faisal with a non-royal, the current ambassador to Washington, Adel al Jubeir. Prince Saud had been Foreign Minister since 1975.

Update: Saudi king, facing challenges in Yemen, fires his heir, foreign minister -- McClatchy News

WNU Editor: If Bruce Reidel's analysis is correct, it means that the hard liners who are advocating for a more forceful Saudi military response in Yemen (and maybe elsewhere) are asserting control and dominance. Bottom line .... there are now many wars and conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa .... expect these conflicts to escalate .... and maybe even new ones arising.