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SAUDI ARABIA

Meet The Poster Boy Of Saudi Arabia’s Yemen Strikes

By Gilad Shiloach
Mar 31, 2015 at 6:30 AM ET

Saudis have found their poster boy for the multinational “Decisive Storm” campaign against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen—Mohammed bin Salman, the 35-year-old Minister of Defense, who also happens to be the son of the new Saudi King, Salman bin Abdul-Aziz.

Although Prince bin Salman lacks any military experience or education—he’s currently the youngest defense minister in any country—he is quickly becoming one of the most influential figures in the kingdom and an internet celebrity in the Arabic-speaking world.

Since the beginning of the military operation in Yemen, Saudi Facebook users have created several fan pages in his honor and uploaded hundreds of photos of him directing the war from his office, visiting soldiers on the battlefield and sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet. An Arabic Twitter hashtag that names him “the person of the year in 2015” has over 3,000 tweets so far and is rising quickly.

Translation: “When I saw Prince Mohammed bin Salman talking on the phone, I remembered the glorious Saddam Hussein, who screwed the Majus (derogatory slur for Shiite).”

Translation: “Prince Mohammed bin Salman is directing the first airstrike in “decisive storm” against the Houthi strongholds himself.”

Translation: “Mohammed bin Salman defeat the Shiite—our defense minister.”

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