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Art of the Deal: Behind Saudi-Lebanon Crisis Is Trump’s Middle East ‘Peace Project’

By Patrick Henningsen, November 13, 2017

The recent ‘forced’ resignation by Lebanese PM Saad Hariri in Riyadh under the influence of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and subsequent threats by Saudi Minister Thamer al-Sadhan against Lebanon and Hezbollah – have puzzled analysts as to the motivation behind this seemingly irrational series of events.

Saudi Authorities Arrested Prince Bandar in Sultan, “The Engineer of the Syrian War”

By South Front, November 13, 2017

The Saudi Authorities arrested Prince Bandar bin Sultan as a part of the anti-corruption” purge that was launched by Saudi Arabia King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, according to a report of the Middle East Eye (MEE) online news portal.

Secret Document: Saudis, Israel Working Together to Provoke War in Lebanon

By Joyce Chediac, November 12, 2017

Only a day after major ISIS defeats in Syria and Iraq indicated that fighting may be winding down, an extraordinary series of events raised the danger of a new war, this time against Lebanon. These events began on Nov. 4 when Saudi Arabia destabilized Lebanon’s government by forcing Prime Minister Saad Hariri’ to resign, and led to the Saudi government false claim on Nov. 7 that Lebanon had “declared war” on that kingdom.

Mohammed Bin Salman Drains the Saudi Swamp

By Andrew Korybko, November 11, 2017

The future King has been much more successful in this endeavor that Trump due to the fundamental differences in political systems and leadership culture, which has seen him decisively neutralize a broad swath of pro-American challengers for the throne and their supportive conspirators under the pretext of an anti-corruption campaign.

Muhammd Bin-Salman’s Purge in Saudi Arabia Is the Prelude to Something Bigger

By Abdel Bari Atwan, November 11, 2017

Our region stands on the brink of war. We should not let small details — such as the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri’s resignation or the detention of princes and former ministers in Saudi Arabia — divert us from the big picture and the real developments taking place behind the scenes.

Real Motive Behind Saudi Purge Emerges: $800 Billion in Confiscated Assets

By Zero Hedge, November 10, 2017

From the very beginning, there was something off about Sunday’s unprecedented countercoup purge unleashed by Mohammad bin Salman on alleged political enemies, including some of Saudi Arabia’s richest and most powerful royals and government officials: it was just too brazen to be a simple “power consolidation” move; in fact most commentators were shocked by the sheer audacity, with one question outstanding: why take such a huge gamble?