NEW DELHI: Oil-rich Saudi Arabia may have averted a coup with the arrest of key members of the Royal family who were allegedly planning the removal of current King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.The Princes were arrested on charges of corruption but ET has learnt that the arrests were made to foil plan of a coup. King Salman was tipped off regarding the plan by a key ally when he moved swiftly to arrest some of his family members hatching the plan, top officials and diplomats from West Asia told ET.Among those now holed up at the Riyadh’s Ritz Carlton hotel is Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who is head of the powerful National Guard and Crown Prince Mohammed’s cousin. Others held include Prince Alwaleed bin Talal , who is chairman of international investment firm Kingdom Holding and also a cousin of Prince Mohammed, and Prince Turki bin Abdullah , former governor of Riyadh province and a son of the late King Abdullah.All these princes, according to officials, have been opposed to Mohammed’s elevation as the Crown Prince. The arrested princes were allegedly behind the plan to remove current King and Crown Prince, persons familiar with the developments said.Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is widely known in Saudi Arabia by his initials MBS, had said openly in interviews that he would investigate the kingdom’s endemic corruption and would not hesitate to go after top officials to prepare the country’s economy for modern times. Saudis will see that their princes are tried for corruption for first time ever, officials pointed out.Trouble in Saudi Arabia could push world oil prices and impact the international economy. West Asia is already the melting pot and current state of instability would spell disaster, officials feared.At stake is political stability in the world’s largest oil producing country and India’s number one destination for crude import. The country also has the highest number of Indian expatriates who send back millions in remittances. It is not just the anti-corruption drive but the fate of Lebanese PM Saad al-Hariri, an erstwhile close ally of Riyadh, that could be deepen schisms in the already divided region.The developments in Saudi Arabia and resignation of the Lebanese PM during a visit to Riyadh may push region towards turmoil as diplomats and officials from the region do not rule out an armed conflict between Saudi-led alliance & Iran & its allies.The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah has accused Saudi Arabia of declaring war on his country days after Lebanese PM al-Hariri announced his resignation in the Saudi capital. Hassan Nasrallah alleged Saudi Arabia was holding Hariri against his will. He also accused the Saudis of inciting Israel against Lebanon. Hezbollah Shia movement is an ally of Iran.“A war in the region cannot be ruled out in the present circumstances and this conflict may also touch Israel,” claimed a senior official from West Asia.There are fears Lebanon could become embroiled in a wider regional confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. But US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned against Lebanon being used for a proxy conflict, adding that the US strongly backed Lebanon's independence.Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir has described allegations of restrictions on Hariri as "nonsense" and blamed Hezbollah for Hariri's resignation."Hezbollah did (that) by its actions. Hezbollah did by hijacking the political system in Lebanon. Hezbollah did by threatening political leaders. Hezbollah did through a series of assassinations that they committed of over the years," he told CNN in an interview Monday.