The last few days in the Middle East and the US have been eventful, for lack of a better word to blanket summarize all of this craziness.
I know some of you already saw the news that the Saudi’s intercepted a missile Saturday night that came from Yemen.
By the time we woke up Sunday morning, Prince MBS had 11 royals and various government appointment people arrested and fired in an anti-corruption crackdown early that morning.
Then the Lebanese PM stepped down amid speculation that threats on his life were made by Shi’te Iran and Hezbollah. The former PM is Sunni.
And the saddest and devastating news came about the church shooting in Texas.
To backtrack a bit, in case you aren't fully aware, KSA is surrounded by terrorism, war and enemies…although you wouldn’t know it from where we live. It feels incredibly peaceable in the Kingdom. Probably because they don’t mess around here and people are quickly punished if they commit any crime.
The target of the missile on Saturday was the airport. Smart on the Houthi’s part to try to trap us here. I have coworkers who were into Riyadh as it was happening! J and I were watching TV when we heard and felt something like a glass sliding door opening and closing on the second floor of the villa. To note, we don’t have any sliding doors. Wally was laying on the floor next to us and was not phased. If he started barking we may have gotten up and look around our outback, but we continued watching Vice Principals.
About 15 minutes later J’s phone rang, to inform us of the situation, that what we heard was the intercepting missiles being launched and to continue the phone tree to make sure all personnel and family members are accounted for. I jumped on my phone and realized I missed 41(!) messages from the Embassy Mums WhatsApp group I’m on. A number of them heard it as well and the videos on social media started flying of the intercepting missiles being launched.
A number of things started racing through my head, but the first was how impressed I am and thankful for the people staying up round the clock doing their jobs. People sitting somewhere, monitoring this activity acted swiftly and saved people’s lives. Although the people and the technology proved themselves, I opted to work from home on Sunday. Security is tight at Faisaliah Tower, even the diplomatic vehicles get searched when they enter, but going downtown didn’t seem like the smartest choice to me. I felt much better being near my babes and taking them to playgroup that morning.
When I arrived at the Gents’ playgroup the mums were talking about the arrests made the night before. To put it in perspective, some of the royals are considered the Bill Gates and Warren Buffet of KSA. Those who were arrested are being detained at the Ritz Carlton. Yes, the luxury hotel is closed to the public and now a detention center. I guess the Prince has enough compassion to not throw these people in a real Saudi jail. Who knows what the fallout will be, but it’s sending a message of the who is in charge and what is acceptable in KSA.
The news from Lebanon is particularly complicated for the Lebanese nationals in KSA. Lebanon is a country dissected among Christians, Muslims, and a smattering of Jews. Amongst Muslims there is Shi’ite and Sunni presence, oh and don’t forget about Hezbollah. And to keep some balance, ALL groups are mandated to be represented in official government appointments. Since the former PM is Sunni this likely means a potential heaver Shi’ite presence. Which means ties with KSA will be strained. And if things escalate, Lebanese people will be forced back to Lebanon. In Bahrain, for safety precautions, Lebanese people are being told to go home. Someone in the office already joked that I may be running things on my own soon…I’m praying that doesn’t happen.
I know a lot of you are probably thinking, “What are they doing living there?!” And I get it. The truth of the matter is that nowhere is safe right now. When I woke up to read the news about the shooting in Texas my heart started hurting. This was a sacred place, one that should be safe and this terrorist trapped people in this place so he could mow them down. Terrorism, whether home grown or foreign, is the true threat. As my brother always tells me, be vigilant.
And I’ll repeat it, BE VIGILANT. Admittedly I sometimes feel too safe and let my guard down. KSA “feels” safe, but it isn’t. Nowhere in the world is safe though. Now of all times it’s even more important to have some situational awareness. I really like this blog post from the Art of Manliness, especially the A Game for my Mamas to play with their kids! Be aware of the people around you, know the exits, look at where you can find cover, trust your instincts and act - whether it’s travelling internationally or going to the grocery store.
So you all know, even with missiles being aimed at us I don’t feel like we’re in any eminent danger. And if things were to escalate I’m confident the Embassy would have us on a plane back home ASAP. I do worry about all of you back home because people are crazy and laws aren’t going to be changing anytime soon there. So PLEASE be vigilant, be safe, take care of yourself, and each other. XOXO