Families of Saudi Princes Fleeing to Europe for Fear of Iran’s Retaliation

A number of family members of the Saudi princes have fled to the European states for the fear of Iran’s retaliation for the US assassination of IRGC Qods Force Commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, Arab media reports said.

The Arabic-language Yemeni Press reported on Tuesday that the family members of the Saudi princes have secretly left the Riyadh, Jeddah and Mecca airports for the European countries.

Based on the report, the US embassy had earlier warned Riyadh of Iran’s retaliatory attacks against the Saudi oil installations, specially in Eastern Saudi Arabia.

Lieutenant General Soleimani was martyred in a targeted assassination attack by the US drones at Baghdad International Airport early on Friday morning.

The airstrike also martyred Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), or Hashad al-Shaabi. The PMF media arm said the two were martyred in an American airstrike that targeted their vehicle on the road to the airport.

Five Iranian and five Iraqi militaries were martyred by missiles fired by the US drone at Baghdad International Airport.

The Pentagon confirmed the attack in a statement.

The attack came amid tensions that started by the US attack on PMF units that killed 28 Iraqi popular forces. A day later, Iraqi people attacked the US embassy in Baghdad. On Wednesday President Donald Trump ordered about 750 US soldiers deployed to the Middle East.

US officials earlier suggested they were to engage in further retaliatory attacks in Iraq.

The developments also represent a major downturn in Iraq-US relations that could further undermine US influence in the region and American troops in Iraq and weaken Washington’s hand in its pressure campaign against Iran.

US President Donald Trump was vacationing on his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, but sent out a tweet of an American flag.

The attack represents a dramatic escalation by the US toward Iran after months of tensions. The tensions take root in Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw the US from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, struck under his predecessor.