[Telegraph] Saddam Hussein's former deputy has resurfaced making a call for an anti-Iranian crusade a year after he was supposedly killed in Iraq.Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most prominent member of Saddam's Baathist regime to escape death or captivity following the invasion of 2003, featured in a video sent to the Saudi Arabia-owned Al-Arabiya television channel.
He read out a statement to the camera while wearing military uniform and his characteristic red, bushy moustache, making identification instant.
He made no reference to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil), despite widespread and credible reports that his own militia, known as the Naqshabandi Army, helped the group as it swept through western Iraq in 2014.
You heard me, sell ISIS and buy KSA !
Instead he returned to a theme of previous broadcasts - attacking the rise of Iran and demanding an alliance against Iraq's neighbour and frequent rival.
He obviously received Saddam's email. Oh wait !
He said America would be "held responsible" if Iraq were not rescued from Iran's "hegemony". Remarkably, he specifically called for Arab states to join a Saudi Arabia-led coalition against it.
His video may signal a new positioning. With his support for Saudi Arabia, which is also technically part of the US-led anti-Isil coalition, he may be indicating that he no longer supports the jihadists.
Instead, he expresses support for the battle against Iranian-backed Shia rebels in Yemen - a battle also currently being led by Saudi Arabia.
Don't expect any support from the Obama regime on this one.