David Ignatius’s column this morning in The Washington Post on covert efforts to pin back Iranian attempt to establish hegemony in the Middle East, contains this fascinating detail:
Saudi Arabia has taken a tougher stand to oppose what it sees as Iranian meddling in the region. There are reports out of Syria, for example, that the Saudi military attaché in Damascus was expelled a few months ago after the Syrians uncovered what they believed was a plot to pay $50 million in subsidies to members of a prominent Syrian tribe. One source said the money was simply intended to support the kingdom’s longtime tribal friends rather than organize political opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. But the Saudis have made no secret of their desire for regime change in Syria.
What this shows is both how far the House of Saud is prepared to go to prevent Shi’ite Iran establishing regional dominance and how crucial flipping Syria is to containing Iran.
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