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Saudi Arabia terms it a military exercise near the Jordanian border. But Saudi opposition sources and Arab intelligence sources said Riyadh has amassed troops in the north as part of an effort to crack down on dissidents and prevent the infiltration of Hezbollah insurgents who seek to undermine the regime.
More than 10,000 troops from the National Guard and intelligence units are raiding suspected dissident and insurgency strongholds. The sources said hundreds of people have been detained and injured.
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Saudi intelligence has long been worried by the stream of Hezbollah insurgents coming from Jordan. The sources said Hezbollah has sent agents – both Sunnis and Shi'ites – from Lebanon through Jordan and over the desert frontier.
From there, the Hezbollah agents have helped foment unrest among Saudi Arabia's large Shi'ite minority.
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What is more alarming for the Saudi ruling family is that the Hezbollah insurgents are being helped by tribes in the north. For the family, this marks a further loss of control by the regime.
King Fahd has been incapacitated by Alzheimer's and Crown Prince Abdullah has marginalized his half-brother Defense Minister Prince Sultan, regarded as a rival in the power struggle for the throne.
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The result threatens to become chaotic.
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