Saudi Reshuffle: FM Adel Al-Jubeir Demoted, Replaced by Ibrahim Al-Assaf

Local Editor

Saudi King Salman appointed a new foreign minister as part of a major cabinet reshuffle, state media reported.

A royal decree on Wednesday demoted outgoing chief diplomat Adel al-Jubeir to the position of minister of state for foreign affairs and named Ibrahim al-Assaf as his replacement.

The sudden reshuffle is the first since the October 2 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul by a Saudi hit squad.

The murder, as well as the Saudi government's shifting narratives, sparked international outrage and jeopardized Riyadh's relations with its Western allies.

Turkey and Western intelligence agencies have either hinted at or directly named King Salman's son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as the mastermind behind Khashoggi’s murder but the monarch left his heir's portfolios unchanged in the latest reshuffle.

Riyadh authorities admitted to the killing of the government critic in an operation they described as being undertaken by "rogue elements".

A former finance minister, al-Assaf was among dozens of royal family members, government officials and top businessmen detained during an "anti-corruption purge" in November 2017 that MBS had engineered.

Al-Assaf was released two months later, reportedly without penalty. He returned to his roles as a board member at state oil giant Aramco and an adviser to King Salman.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team