Report: Saudi King Salman to Step Down Next Week

A source close to the royal family told the Daily Mail that the King plans to step down next week and announce his son, Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, as his successor. The 32-year-old heir will reportedly focus on the Iranian threat

Report: Saudi King Salman to Step Down Next Week

King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (Photo: AP)

Saudi monarch King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will step down next week and announce his son Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman – known in the west as MBS – as his successor, the Daily Mail reported Thursday.

The report, based on a single source described as "close to the royal family," is not yet confirmed by any other source.

According to the report, once crowned king, the prince will shift his focus to Iran, which he considers his country's greatest threat. He will also move to strike Hezbollah in Lebanon, with Israel's backing.

"MBS is convinced that he has to hit Iran and Hezbollah," the paper's source said. "Contrary to the advice of the royal family elders, that's MBS's next target. MBS's plan is to start the fire in Lebanon, but he's hoping to count on Israeli military backing. He has already promised Israel billions of dollars in direct financial aid if they agree. MBS cannot confront Hezbollah in Lebanon without Israel. Plan B is to fight Hezbollah in Syria," said the source. 

Tensions between Riyadh and Tehran have escalated after a missile was fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on November 4, reaching the Saudi capital. The Saudis considered the missile launch as an "act of war" by Iran.

"Today confrontation is the name of the game," Joseph Kechichian, a scholar at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh, told the New York Times. "This young man, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is not willing to roll over and play dead. If you challenge him, he is saying, he is going to respond."

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