Facebook said that it had suspended more than 350 accounts and pages with about 1.4 million followers, the latest take-down in an ongoing effort to combat "coordinated inauthentic behavior" on its platform, and the first such activity it has linked to the Saudi government.

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Countries in the Middle East have increasingly turned to websites such as Facebook, Twitter and Google's YouTube to peddle covert political influence online.

Reuters detailed an expansive Iranian-backed campaign last year and Riyadh has been accused of using the same tactics to attack regional rival Qatar and spread disinformation following the murder of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Saudi Arabia has repeatedly denied any involvement in Khashoggi's death and not responded to previous allegations about its activity on social media. Along with allies, it has imposed a trade and diplomatic boycott on Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Qatar denies.

Facebook announces take-downs of "inauthentic behavior" as often as multiple times a month, but statements that directly link such behavior to a government are rare.

"For this operation, our investigators were able to confirm that the individuals behind this are associated with the government of Saudi Arabia," said Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy.

"Any time we have a link between an information operation and a government, that's significant and people should be aware."

Facebook also said on Thursday it had suspended a separate network of more than 350 accounts linked to marketing firms in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. In that case it did not directly link the activity to a government.

Gleicher said the Saudi campaign operated on Facebook and its Instagram photo-sharing platform, primarily targeting countries in the Middle East and North Africa, including Qatar, the UAE, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.

The operation used fake accounts posing as those countries' citizens and pages designed to look like local news outlets. More than $100,000 was spent on advertisements, Facebook said.

"They would typically post in Arabic about regional news and political issues. They would talk about things like Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – his internal and economic social reform plan, the successes of the Saudi armed forces, particularly during the conflict in Yemen," said Gleicher.

Social media companies are under increasing pressure to help stop illicit political influence online.

US intelligence officials have said that Russia used Facebook and other platforms to interfere in the 2016 US Presidential Election and are concerned it will do so again in 2020. Moscow denies such allegations.

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Washington has not had an ambassador in Riyadh since January 2017, a 27-month period in which U.S.-Saudi ties have become increasingly complicated over issues including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Trump nominated Abizaid, who led U.S. Central Command during the Iraq war, for the position in November 2018. He was approved by the Senate in April.

"Saudi Arabia and the United States work together every day to protect the security of our two countries, promote prosperity and economic development, and build the people-to-people ties that keep our relationship strong," the statement quoted Abizaid, 68, as saying.

Many in Washington have called for a tougher stance against the Saudis on matters such as the imprisonment and alleged torture of women's rights activists and other dissidents, and the killings of civilians by aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition in the Yemen war.

But Trump has expressed reluctance to push too hard on Riyadh, citing its multibillion-dollar purchases of U.S. military equipment and investments in U.S. firms, as well as its role as an important regional counterbalance to Iran.

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Saudi Arabia said it also sent new letters to the Turkish public prosecutor asking for "any evidence connected to this case," which has rattled the Saudi royal court and damaged the reputation of 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Khashoggi was close to the royal circles before becoming a critic of Prince Mohammed, writing for The Washington Post and speaking to international media about Saudi politics when he moved to the United States last year.

Saudi officials have rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered his murder in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, in which Khashoggi's body was dismembered, removed from the building and handed over to an unidentified "local cooperator."

The whereabouts of Khashoggi's remains are still unknown. A Turkish television channel on Monday showed men carrying suitcases purportedly containing the remains into the residence of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul.

"The initial hearing for the 11 individuals indicted by the Public Prosecution in the case of the murder of citizen Jamal Khashoggi was held today ... in the Criminal Court of Riyadh," a statement from the Saudi prosecutor carried by SPA said Thursday.

The prosecutor's office said it was seeking the death penalty for five individuals among the 11 indicted. Ten other suspects were still under investigation.

Without naming them, the prosecutor said in November the five individuals facing the death penalty were "charged with ordering and committing the crime."

SPA added that the defendants' lawyers attended the hearing and the court approved a request from the 11 for more time to prepare their defense. It gave no details on the next hearing.

Saudi King Salman sacked Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide to Prince Mohammed, Istanbul Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi and former deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri in connection with Khashoggi's murder.

The kingdom has come under heavy international pressure, including from the United States, its closest ally, whose Senate has voted in favor of a resolution blaming the crown prince for the murder.

U.S. senators were briefed by U.S. intelligence agencies which concluded that Prince Mohammed ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said Khashoggi's killing was ordered by the highest level of Saudi leadership.

Thursday's statement said the kingdom was still awaiting responses to requests for information sent to Turkish officials.

Last week, King Salman put Ibrahim al-Assaf, a veteran former finance minister, in charge of foreign affairs, in an effort to improve the kingdom's image after the crisis caused by the killing.

Assaf replaced Adel al-Jubeir, and experts in Saudi politics said the move reflected a perception that Jubeir was tainted by having served as Riyadh's chief global defender during the Khashoggi affair.

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The king's annual remarks to the Shura Council, a top governmental advisory body, were his first public comments since the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, which caused a global outcry.

King Salman, who made no mention of the Khashoggi affair, condemned the actions of Iran, its rival for influence in the region, including in the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

"The Iranian regime has always intervened in the internal affairs of other countries, sponsored terrorism, created chaos and devastation in many countries in the region," the 82-year-old monarch said.

"The international community has to work to put an end to the Iranian nuclear program and stop its activities that threaten security and stability."

The king said Riyadh supported U.N. efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-backed coalition has been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels for nearly four years to restore the internationally-recognized government.

"Our standing by Yemen was not an option but a duty to support the Yemeni people in confronting the aggression of Iranian-backed militias," he said.

The Houthis said on Monday they were halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Yemeni allies, and indicated readiness for a broader ceasefire if the Saudi-led coalition "wants peace".

Riyadh has come under growing international criticism for its conduct of the Yemen war, which has brought the country to the brink of famine and killed many civilians in air strikes.

The reputation of Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has been further battered by Khashoggi's murder.

The king had largely stepped back from active political life and handed extensive authority to his son and heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed, but is now trying to defuse the crisis caused by the murder and shore up the crown prince.

Prince Mohammed, the kingdom's de-facto ruler, will participate in the G20 summit in Argentina at the end of the month as part of a foreign trip, Al Arabiya television quoted the country's energy minister as saying on Monday.

In his speech, King Salman said Riyadh would continue working with OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers to maintain stability in global energy markets.

Last week, after offering numerous contradictory explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance, Riyadh said he had been killed and his body dismembered when "negotiations" to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia failed. The public prosecutor said it would seek the death penalty for five suspects in the case.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said the order for the killing of Khashoggi came from the highest level of the Saudi leadership but probably not from King Salman, putting the spotlight instead on the 33-year-old crown prince.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested ultimate responsibility lies with the prince as de-facto ruler. His administration has imposed economic and travel restrictions on a few individuals for alleged involvement, including a top aide to Prince Mohammed..

On Monday, the king signaled that the crown prince remains empowered to pursue ambitious economic reforms, praising a "comprehensive developmental transformation" underway. He directed his son, sitting in the hall, "to focus on ... preparing the new generation for future jobs."

King Salman also praised the Saudi judiciary and prosecution service for "performing the duties they were entrusted with", without elaborating.

In addition to the Khashoggi case, the public prosecutor has participated in an anti-corruption campaign ordered by Prince Mohammed last year in which scores of princes, ministers and businessmen were arrested and the state said it recovered $100 billion in stolen assets.

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Trump spoke hours after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dismissed Saudi efforts to blame Khashoggi's death on rogue operatives.

Erdogan urged Riyadh to search "from top to bottom" to uncover those behind Khashoggi's death in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, an incident that has sparked global outrage and strained relations between Riyadh and Washington.

For Saudi Arabia's allies, the question will be whether they believe that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has painted himself as a reformer, has any culpability.

Trump said the killing and subsequent cover-up by Saudi Arabia was "a total fiasco."

"There should have never been an execution or a cover-up because it should have never happened," Trump told reporters. He said he had spoken on Monday with the crown prince who denied having anything to do with Khashoggi's killing.

Earlier, Trump said the Khashoggi matter was handled badly by Saudi officials.

"Bad deal, should have never been thought of. Somebody really messed up. And they had the worst cover-up ever," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Khashoggi, a critic of the crown prince, was a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist.

Trump's comments in recent days have ranged from threatening Saudi Arabia with "very severe" consequences and mentioning possible economic sanctions, to more conciliatory remarks highlighting the country's role as a U.S. ally against Iran and Islamist terrorists, as well as a major purchaser of U.S. arms.

Trump did not give his views on who was ultimately responsible. But Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had identified some of the Saudi government and security officials it believed were involved in Khashoggi's murder and would take appropriate actions including revoking U.S. visas.

The U.S. State Department said 21 Saudis would have their visas revoked or be made ineligible for U.S. visas. Another official said the vast majority of the group had U.S. visas.

"As we continue to develop our understanding of the individuals that were responsible for this, not only those who executed it but those who were connected to it, the world should know that we intend to hold those individuals accountable when we develop this fact set," Pompeo told reporters.

Pompeo also said the State Department was looking into whether sanctions could be applicable for those found to be involved.

"These penalties will not be the last word on this matter from the United States," Pompeo said, although he emphasized as have other senior U.S. officials, the importance of the U.S.-Saudi relationship. "Neither the president nor I are happy with this situation."

The Saudi Embassy in Washington was unavailable for comment.

As the crisis unfolded over the past three weeks, Saudi Arabia changed its tune on Khashoggi. Riyadh initially denied knowledge of Khashoggi's fate before saying on Saturday he was killed in a fight in the consulate, an account met with skepticism from several Western governments, straining their relations with the world's biggest oil exporter.

Saudi Arabia has detained 18 people and dismissed five senior government officials as part of an investigation into Khashoggi's death. One of those fired includes Saud al-Qahtani, a top aide who ran social media for Crown Prince Mohammed. According to two intelligence sources, Qahtani ran Khashoggi's killing by giving orders over Skype.

Turkish security sources say that when Khashoggi entered the consulate, he was seized by 15 Saudi intelligence operatives who had flown in on two jets just hours before.

Erdogan on Tuesday stopped short of mentioning the crown prince, who some U.S. lawmakers suspect ordered the killing.

"The Saudi administration has taken an important step by admitting to the murder. From now on, we expect them to uncover all those responsible for this matter from top to bottom and make them face the necessary punishments," Erdogan said in a speech in parliament.

"From the person who gave the order, to the person who carried it out, they must all be brought to account," Turkey's president said.

Turkish sources have said that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the killing. Erdogan made no reference to any audio recording.

A Saudi cabinet meeting chaired by King Salman said Riyadh would hold those responsible accountable, whoever they were.

Trump said he would work with the U.S. Congress to determine the U.S. response to the Khashoggi matter.

"In terms of what we ultimately do, I'm going to leave it very much – in conjunction with me – up to Congress," Trump said, adding he would like a bipartisan recommendation.

CIA Director Gina Haspel, in Turkey to investigate the death of Khashoggi, has sought to hear the purported audio recording of his torture and murder, four sources familiar with her mission told Reuters on Tuesday.

A host of Western executives and governments have pulled out of a high-profile Saudi investment summit that started on Tuesday because of the Khashoggi affair.

Erdogan said the killing was planned from when Khashoggi, 59, first went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Sept. 28 to obtain documents necessary for his marriage. He was told he would need to return later to collect the documents.

A day before Khashoggi's death, agents arrived from overseas and began to scout locations, including the Belgrad Forest near Istanbul and the city of Yalova to its south, Erdogan said. Police have searched both areas for evidence of Khashoggi's remains, Reuters has reported.

On the day Khashoggi arrived for his appointment and was later killed, the hard disk in the consulate's camera system was removed, Erdogan said.

"Covering up a savage murder like this will only hurt the human conscience. We expect the same sensitivity from all parties, primarily the Saudi Arabian leadership," he said.

"We have strong signs that the murder was the result of a planned operation, not a spontaneous development."

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Saudi state news agency SPA quoted a statement from the country's security services saying the directive includes Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and senior IRGC officials Hamed Abdollahi and Abdul Reza Shahlai.

A Revolutionary Guards officer said that the move by Riyadh and Manama intended to "distract the world and the region from the killing of Jamal Khashoggi," an exiled Saudi journalist whose disappearance after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul has sparked international outrage.

"Saudi Arabia is in a quagmire it cannot easily come out of … Saudi rulers are trying to distract the world and the region from the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi journalist, in their consulate in Turkey," Brig. Gen. Esmail Kowsari told the Mehr news agency.

"Saudi leaders should be held accountable for their actions," he said.

The U.S. Treasury Department alleged in 2011 that Soleimani, Abdollahi and Shahlai were linked to a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's former ambassador to the United States, Adel Al-Jubeir, and imposed sanctions on them.

Iran at the time dismissed the accusations as false and demanded an apology from Washington.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday dismissed Saudi Arabia's explanations of Khashoggi's death and demanded it punish those responsible, no matter how highly placed.

Also on Tuesday, the U.S. Treasury targeted Afghanistan's Taliban insurgency with sanctions against eight individuals who were designated global terrorists, including two linked to the Quds Force named as Mohammad Ebrahim Owhadi and Esma'il Razavi.

The Taliban-related sanctions were also imposed by the seven members of the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, a U.S.-Gulf initiative to stem finance to militant groups.

The Trump administration aims to create a security and political alliance with the Sunni Gulf Arab states to counter Iran's influence in the region, especially in Syria and Iraq.

Saudi Arabia welcomed Trump's decision and said it would work with the United States to address Iran's support of militant groups in the region and its ballistic missile program, which is run by the Revolutionary Guards.

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