Before, there was always this thing that he had to be careful - 'I'm crown prince, but Fahd is king'. Now, it's basically his reign.

It will send a strong message that the kingdom is not acting out of sectarian interests, but in the interests of Iraq and the region at large.

A civil war may well be inevitable. Such a development would have the gravest implications for the entire region, especially Saudi Arabia, which shares its longest international borders with Iraq.

Iranian levers of influence include a broad network of informants, military and logistical support of armed groups, and social welfare campaigns.

The margin for error on this issue is practically nonexistent. You can never spend enough on security for the petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia. One error will have global repercussions.

Unless you have a specialized force of a foreign army, such attacks are impossible to succeed.