Wall Street Journal: Bin Salman moves between heavily guarded palaces equipped with bunkers

WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (YPA) – “The Wall Street Journal” newspaper has reported that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is moving between heavily guarded palaces equipped with bunkers amid escalating “Houthi attacks” against the Kingdom, according to officials familiar with his movements.

The 41-year-old Crown Prince is accompanied by a handpicked security detail, the newspaper noted. His last public appearance was on Tuesday, when he donated blood in support of a national blood donation campaign.

Mohammed bin Salman faces a strained economy burdened by excessive spending and his management of the Saudi crisis, with repercussions poised to extend beyond the Kingdom’s borders. War costs have widened the budget deficit and threaten to drive the economy into contraction.

Amid these developments, the Crown Prince relocates between secure palaces featuring bunkers, escorted by a carefully selected security team, according to officials familiar with his itineraries.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Gulf expert and fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute, stated that the Saudi leader has limited options. He added, “Any military response risks dragging the country into an asymmetrical conflict in which the Houthis have demonstrated their ability to inflict severe and symbolic damage.”

Saudi Arabia struggles to cover its vast territory with air defense systems, shifting missile batteries between locations to protect palaces and energy infrastructure, according to sources familiar with the Kingdom’s deliberations.

Despite Mohammed bin Salman’s efforts to strengthen ties with the US President Trump—including a pledge to invest roughly $1 trillion in the United States—Washington has thus far resisted the Crown Prince’s requests for military assistance to halt Sanaa’s forces, limiting its involvement to dispatching military advisers.

YPA