However, the surprise of the king of Saudi Arabia is not purely internal. At the regional level, the removal of Prince Salman, the son of late Crown Prince Sultan, as deputy minister of defense suggests that he is being distanced from the Syrian issue, which he was entrusted with from the Saudi operations room in Jordan. This move came one month after officially removing Bandar bin Sultan from his post in the intelligence. A few months ago, the Syrian file was transferred to Prince Mohamed bin Nayef, as it has turned out that terrorism in Syria is turning into an uncontrollable Saudi problem, which is seen as part of Bandar’s unrestrained policies.

It was interesting that these military amendments came about two weeks after the announcement of the conclusion of the biggest military maneuvers on the part of the Saudi armed forces, while the king’s decrees were issued in conjunction with a relatively lengthy visit made ​​by US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to the kingdom. Observers are wondering whether these steps will pave the way for large-scale changes in the military leadership in a country, especially in light of the presence of the defense minister of major country like the United States, that was involved in a meeting with defense ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the city of Jeddah.

An informed Gulf source told As-Safir that the orders of the Saudi king fall, in part, in the context of re-arranging the turbulent internal affairs, especially in relation to his children. In other aspects, they constitute shocking surprises, especially on the military level, and given the amendments at the head of the General Staff and the leadership of the air force and navy.

Through the royal decrees, the king has managed to push his sons further to the forefront of the Saudi political scene, as he appointed his son, Prince Turki, as an emir of the Riyadh region, in a move observers say it may provoke confusion in the ranks of the ruling family. At the same time, the “Bandari line” is being disposed of by removing Prince Salman bin Sultan, the half-brother of the deposed Prince Bandar bin Sultan, from his post as deputy secretary of defense, only one month after removing Bandar himself from his position as head of intelligence.

In a short period of time, Saudi Arabia keeps introducing one surprise after another. The royal decrees that were announced by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz yesterday [May 14] were unprecedented since he came to power 10 years ago. They affected many of the political, military and family positions.

So far, there is no alternative to Bandar in the leadership of Saudi intelligence. Youssef bin Ali Idrissi continues to manage the intelligence apparatus since a month ago. However, according to observers, the failure of the Saudi military operations in Jordan contributed to the removal of this half-brother Prince Salman bin Sultan, as millions of dollars were spent on opposition armed rebels in the south of Syria to no avail. The opposition was dealt a major blow in eastern Ghouta in late 2013. Back then, the Syrian army and Hezbollah prevented the fall of the city in the hands of the opposition and secured the protection of the Syrian capital and its airport.

This was the magical Western expression that was used throughout last year and the beginning of 2014. Brothers Bandar and Salman knew that this password required a change in the balance of power on the ground. It was clear that the balance was not tipping in favor of scores of armed factions funded by Saudi Arabia and the West in the hope of compelling the regime to make concessions during the last spring negotiations of Geneva II.

Prince Salman is following the lead of his eldest brother, Bandar, who has raised the ire of the United States in the past month after long years of good relations. Bandar is a holder of a BA in military sciences from the King Abdulaziz Military College. He was appointed as a lieutenant in the Saudi air force. He led the fourth group of air defense in the Khamis Mushait base only to later join the Saudi Embassy in Washington as a military attache. Then, he was appointed as an assistant to the secretary-general of the Council of Security and Intelligence Affairs affiliated with the National Security Council.

Observers believe that distancing Salman after the dismissal of Bandar raises questions about whether Saudi Arabia is bringing about radical changes in its policy toward Syria, or if it is only making amendments that take into consideration the growing security requirements of the kingdom, which is concerned about the spillover of surrounding unrest. Saudi Arabia is also taking into consideration the new US interests, which were reflected through the decision of Saudi Arabia to issue terrorism lists including terrorist organizations in Syria, prior to the decisive visit of US President Barack Obama to Riyadh last March.

Whatever the situation, the Saudi surprises will not be limited to this. Yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Saud al-Faisal announced suddenly openness toward holding a dialogue with Iran. The Saudi king made an important move at the end of last March, when he announced the appointment of his brother Prince Muqrin as deputy crown prince.

As such, all his sons are now assuming key positions in the power structure. Now, Prince Turki has been appointed the emir of Riyadh in the capacity of a minister, a step that may not be acceptable by many due to his relatively young age (43). A few months ago, the king also appointed his son Mishaal as emir of Mecca.

In addition to this, Prince Mutaib is the head of National Guard in the capacity of a minister. His other son, Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, is deputy foreign minister and is known for his calm diplomacy and regional openness, and many consider him as the likeliest candidate to become a foreign minister as a successor to Saud al-Faisal.

The Saudi statement

King Abdullah declared the following orders: “Based on what has been submitted by the crown prince, deputy premier and minister of defense (Prince Salman): Relieving Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the deputy minister of defense, of his post upon his request. Relieving Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, the governor of Riyadh region, of his post and appointing him as deputy minister of defense. Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz al-Saud was appointed as the emir of the Riyadh region, as a minister.”

There have been amendments in the leadership of the general Staff and the air force and navy. “Chief of staff Hussein Abdullah bin Hussein who is about to retire shall be dismissed, while his deputy Abdul Rahman bin Saleh bin Abdullah al-Binyan shall be be appointed as chief of staff.”

“Lt. Gen. Fayadh bin Hamad bin Ruqad Ruwaili shall be appointed deputy chief of the general staff. Deputy air force commander, Maj. Gen. Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Abdul Rahman al-Shaalan shall be promoted to lieutenant general and commander of the air force.”

The king forced “navy commander Admiral Dakheel-Allah al-Wakadani into retirement and appointed in his place Admiral Abdullah bin Sultan bin Mohammed al-Sultan after being promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.”