Prince Mohammed bin Salman forged king's signature to start Yemen war: Report

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) forged his father's signature on the royal decree that launched the war on Yemen's Houthi rebels, a former Saudi government official has claimed in a recent BBCreport.

Saad al-Jabriclaims MBS, who was only 29 years old at the time and served as the country's defence minister, got the kingdom into the war to ascertain his authority on the throne as King Salman's health deteriorated.

“We were surprised that there was a royal decree to allow the ground interventions.He forged the signature of his dad for that royal decree. The king’s mental capacity was deteriorating," said Al-Jabri, who added that a "credible, reliable" official linked to the Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed the forged signature.

Al-Jabri added that the CIA station chief in Riyadh told him angrily that the kingdom and MBS should not have ignored the Americans and that the invasion of Yemen should have been avoided.

Notably, the stalemate war against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels was launched by MBS with the promise that it would be quickly over. However, nearly a decadelater, the war is nowhere near the end and has seen more than 150,000 people killed - making it one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year, the Houthis have also launched attacks on shipping containers, disrupting traffic through the Red Sea.

Watch |Houthis-Yemen government reach deal on finances; halt tit-for-tat banking sanctions

'MBS wants me dead'

While Al-Jabri made the allegations, Riyadh has not issued any comment so far, though the kingdom has previously described him as a "discredited former government official".

Al-Jabri,who lives in exile in Canada currently, has been involved in a yearslong dispute with the kingdom as two of his children have been imprisoned in a case he believes is an attempt to lure him back to Saudi Arabia. The former government official added that MBS wanted him killed.

“He [MBS] planned for my assassination.He will not rest until he sees me dead. I have no doubt about that.”

The kingdom has issued Interpol notices to Canada, seeking Al-Jabri's extradition, stating he is wanted for corruption, involving billions of dollars during his time at the ministry. However,Ottawa has refused to comply so far.

(With inputs from agencies)