Saudi Arabia replaces spy chief, architect of Syria policy

Saudi Arabian intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the architect of Riyadh's attempts to bring down Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been removed from his post, state media reported Tuesday.

His departure, months after he was quoted warning of a "major shift" from the United States over its Middle East policy, may help smooth relations with Washington as Riyadh pushes for more U.S. support for Syrian opposition fighters.

"Prince Bandar was relieved of his post at his own request and General Youssef al-Idrissi was asked to carry out the duties of the head of general intelligence," state news agency SPA said, citing a royal decree.

The decree did not say if Bandar would continue in his other position as head of the National Security Council. A former ambassador to the U.S., Bandar was appointed intelligence chief in July 2012, in charge of helping Syrian rebels bring down Assad — who is an ally of Riyadh's biggest regional rival, Iran.

Saudi media reported that the Syrian dossier has been transferred to the interior minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, who cracked down on Al-Qaeda following a wave of deadly attacks in the Gulf state between 2003 and 2006.

Syrian state media in Lebanon have repeatedly lashed out at Bandar, accusing him of supporting Sunni Muslim radicals in Syria. He was also closely involved in Saudi support for Egypt's military rulers after they ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last year, diplomatic sources in the Gulf have said.

Despite his longstanding connections in Washington and personal relations with world leaders stretching back decades, Bandar proved a sometimes abrasive figure in his efforts to corral Western support for the Syrian opposition.

Western officials have said in private that his comment in October about a "major shift" from the U.S. following President Barack Obama's decision not to use military strikes against Assad had complicated cooperation on Syria. And a trip to Moscow also failed to produce results last year, when Russian President Vladimir Putin did not abandon his support for Assad.

"He had been more or less disengaged from the Syrian file for the past five months. The responsibility was divided between a number of people — officers in the intelligence sphere and other princes. So the reality is that any changes have already happened," said Mustafa Alani, a security expert with close ties to Riyadh.

Saudi support for Syrian opposition fighters — including arms, training and financing — has been hampered by infighting between opposition groups and difficulties in working out which of them have pursued ideologies that could threaten Riyadh’s interests.

Earlier this year, Riyadh recalibrated its Syria policy to focus more on preventing armed groups there from posing an eventual threat inside the kingdom — something that was pushed by powerful Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. 

Al Jazeera and wire services