New heir to Saudi throne in reshuffle 

King Salman, who succeeded the late King Abdullah in January in Saudi Arabia, is a change agent in a region known for its conservative and ponderous ways. The latest reshuffle – that also sees a foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, appointed from outside the royals – comes after the decision to launch air strikes against Yemen. International relations experts say that this is part of the rise of Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia squaring up against Shia Iranian expansionism as the two super powers of the region. Many will be watching closely what this latest generational reshuffle spells for the region. – Gill Moodie

By Ian Timberlake, AFP 

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman named his powerful interior minister as heir on Wednesday in a generational shift that also saw one of his sons promoted to second in line to the throne.

A protester holds a flag during a rally in support of Saudi Arabia over its intervention in Yemen, after Friday Prayers in Karachi, Pakistan, April 24, 2015. The flag reads in Arabic, “There is no God but Allah and Mohammad is the prophet”.  REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

A royal decree removed Crown Prince Moqren bin Abdul Aziz bin Saud, 69, as heir and replaced him with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, who led a crackdown on Al-Qaeda in the oil-rich kingdom a decade ago.

Riyadh also changed its foreign minister –  now Adel al-Jubeir, 53 – in the second major government shakeup since King Salman inherited power in January.

The announcement comes a day after Saudi Arabia said it arrested 93 jihadists since the end of 2014, most of them linked to the Islamic State group, and had foiled several plots to carry out attacks across the kingdom.

“He’s pretty much assured now to become the next king,” a Western diplomatic source said of Mohammed bin Nayef, asking for anonymity. “It’s a historical shift really. It’s real generational change.”

Accentuating the move to a more youthful leadership, Salman, 79, also promoted one of his sons, Mohammed bin Salman, to be deputy crown prince.

Mohammed bin Salman, in his early 30s, retains the position of defence minister, in which he has overseen more than a month of air strikes against Iran-backed rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

Saudi Arabia’s envoy to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir, 53, was appointed foreign minister.

Mohammed bin Nayef’s appointment further solidifies control of Salman’s Sudayri branch of the royal family. Their influence had waned under Abdullah.

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