Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is caught up in yet another espionage controversy following international news coverage of how his hands are reportedly involved in plotting with Israeli officials to tap the phones of royal members such as Mohammed bin Nayef and Mutaib bin Abdullah. His intention was no secret: keeping an eye on their actions to crush any likelihood of him being threatened by absolute authority.
Sources say bin Salman used cutting-edge Israeli technology, specifically the notorious Pegasus spyware created by NSO Group after his own technical experts were unable to run sophisticated surveillance systems in-house. The software, normally employed to monitor political dissidents, was used inside Saudi Arabia to monitor those around the Crown Prince—a step that reflects his extreme suspicion of even his inner circle of the ruling family.
Saudi opposition activists, such as Omar Al-Zahrani, authenticated their assertions that bin Salman went beyond espionage, persecuting and arresting some of his competitors, especially members of the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz’s family. All these are part of his efforts to maintain absolute authority within the kingdom and muzzle any dissent from their leadership or aspirations for the throne.
Bin Salman utilized the Pegasus spyware, used to monitor his opposition, as much for global issues as it was an internal oppression tool, with one instance including the killing of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the consulate of the kingdom in 2018 in Istanbul. Confirming that this weapon had been employed by the regime in Saudi Arabia to follow Khashoggi prior to being brutally killed was enough proof to confirm the country’s commitment to doing whatever was needed to consolidate power.
The problem ran beyond Saudi individuals, reaching prominent international figures, too. One of the victims of these spy operations was American businessman Jeff Bezos, owner of The Washington Post, whose phone was compromised, resulting in the leakage of confidential information that ignited massive controversy within media and political circles.
This is not the first scandal of its sort, but it again shows how deep Saudi-Arabian and Israeli ties are. Bin Salman has demonstrated no inhibition about letting the Israelis in on the kingdom’s secrets in return for cementing his iron hold on power. The pressing question is: How much longer will this secretive affair continue? Will the Saudi royal family pay a steep price for the Crown Prince’s unpredictable policies?