Saudi King Salman, 81, may abdicate from the throne in favor of his 32-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Arab media has reported in the light of seismic events that rocked the kingdom over the weekend.
The king will announce the decision within “the next two nights,” the Iranian news channel PressTV reported Wednesday, citing information from Rai al-Youm, a website publishing news and analyses on the Arab world.
Earlier on Wednesday, Saudi-owned television channel Al-Arabiya announced the news on Twitter, but later the post was deleted, according to the report.
The information is not officially confirmed. Riyadh has not made any statement regarding the issue.
“The expected development marks a change in the order of succession in Saudi Arabia from lateral lines of elderly brothers to a vertical order under which the king hands power to his favorite son,” PressTV reported.