Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, in opening remarks to the Arab League today, declared that the kingdom “will not hesitate to defend its national security to keep its people safe” while requesting that joint action be taken to stop Iranian "aggression" and attacks on Arab states.
This morning one of Israel's largest international news broadcasters broke an explosive yet not entirely surprising story that Israel would take the unprecedented step of sharing intelligence with Saudi Arabia as both countries continue to ramp up efforts to curb what they perceive as Iranian expansion in the region.
Left: Israeli PM Netanyahu, Right: Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Israel's i24NEWS cited statements by the head of the Israeli army given to a prominent Saudia Arabian newspaper on Thursday:
Authored by Eric Zuesse,
It all began with the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers apartment complex in the Saudi city of Khobar, which killed 19 U.S. military, who worked at the Dharan air base three miles away.
That incident became the lynchpin of the accusation by the Saudi royal family, the U.S. State Department, and the CIA, that Iran is the foremost state sponsor of terrorism.
Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri just concluded his first interview since what appears to be his forced resignation after landing in Saudi Arabia a week ago which began what many describe as a house arrest. "I was at my home [in Saudi] and not The Ritz," he explained during what regional outlets are describing as a very carefully controlled and choreographed interview.
One day after Saudi Arabia and Kuwait ordered their citizens to evacuate Lebanon - a move many suggested telegraphed an imminent "military intervention" - the mainstream media has begun building the case for a new mid-east war, one which will involve Iran and Hezbollah (and potentially Russia, not to mention other Shia Muslims) on one hand, and Saudi Arabia and Israel on the other.