Saudi King Salman sacks Army Chief

Saudi King Salman has sacked his military chief and a number of other top commanders in a series of royal decrees issued late last night. 

The official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) informed about the termination of the services of General Abdul Rahman bin Saleh al-Bunyan, Chief of Staff, adding that Fayyad al-Ruwaili had been appointed as his replacement. No reasons have been assigned for the present shake-up. 

The series of



royal decrees also saw the appointment of new governors, deputy governors of provinces across the kingdom as well as new ministers to several posts. 

No official reason was given for the changes, but they come as the kingdom's bloody conflict with Yemen's Huthi rebels nears the end of its third year. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the defence minister, is believed to be behind various recent shake-ups in the country.