Dozens More Have Been Detained in Saudi Arabia’s Corruption Purge

While few would argue against allegations that some top princes and officials have enriched themselves during years in power, the selection of who has been detained raises speculation that the purge is political.

Prince Miteb’s detention stands out because he was the last remaining prince of his generation in a position of real power, which made him a potential obstacle to the throne for MBS.

Earlier this year, the crown prince engineered the ouster of another more experienced prince from the line of succession.

Many also have questioned a recent purchase by MBS of a yacht estimated at anywhere between $200 million to $500 million.

Saudi observer Thomas Lippmann said it is difficult to draw the line between what constitutes corruption in Saudi Arabia and how business deals, contracts and access have been won over the years.

“I don’t believe for a minute this is really about disrupting the payout system or corruption,” said Lippmann, author of “Saudi Arabia on the Edge: The Uncertain Future of an American Ally.”

“This is about getting rid of the centers of power,” he said.

As the purge unfolded, U.S. President Donald Trump gave his stamp of approval, saying the king and the crown prince “know exactly what they are doing.”

French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists in the United Arab Emirates that he wasn’t making any judgments.

“This is not the role of a president, and similarly I would not expect a leader of a foreign country to come and infringe on domestic matters,” Macron said.

Macron visited Saudi Arabia later Thursday and met with the crown prince. Their discussions likely also touched on the crisis in Lebanon sparked by the sudden and mysterious resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri. He announced his resignation in a pre-recorded message from Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah and one of Lebanon’s most powerful figures, has openly speculated that Saudi Arabia played a role in Hariri’s resignation and might have been held against his will in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia ordered all of its citizens to “immediately” depart Lebanon amid heightened tensions with Hezbollah and the militant group’s patron, Iran. A brief statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency also warned Saudis against travel to the country.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir warned earlier this week that his government would “deal with” Lebanon as a hostile state as long as Hezbollah was in the government. He said Hezbollah’s participation in government is an “act of war” against Saudi Arabia.

In Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Shiite rebels since March 2015, the United Nations and more than 20 aid groups said a blockade of all ports in the war-torn country was threatening to bring “starvation and death” to millions of people.

Unless the coalition lifts the blockade, Yemen will face “the largest famine the world has seen for many decades, with millions of victims,” said U.N. humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock.

The coalition closed all ports and halted aid shipments after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile over the weekend that was intercepted near Riyadh. Saudi Arabia blamed the strike on Iran, which supports the Houthis but has denied arming them.