Saudi Chief of staff sacked in big defense shakeup

Saudi King Salman sacked the military chief of staff and replaced the heads of the ground forces and air defenses, as well as senior officials at the interior ministry, in a series of late-night Monday royal decrees. Gen. Abdul Rahman bin Saleh al-Bunyan was replaced as chief of staff by Fayyad al-Ruwaili. Al-Bunyan was sacked shortly after he inaugurated the Saudi Military Industries (SAMI) exhibition this week, staged to boost Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman’s drive to establish a domestic arms industry. No official reason was given for the sweeping overhaul, but it comes amid the worsening conflict in Yemen towards the end of the third year of Saudi intervention.

New civil appointments were announced separately late Monday. For the first time, a Saudi woman, Tamadar Bint Yousef al-Ramah, was appointed the deputy minister of labor and social development. And Prince Turki bin Talal, the brother of billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, was appointed deputy governor of the southern Assir Province.