bandar had been tasked with managing saudi policy in the syrian civil war, but he was replaced in early 2014 by interior minister prince muhammad bin nayef. bandar took a confrontational tone with the united states and was called a "problem" privately by u.s. secretary of state john kerry. however, bandar had also been struggling with poor health stemming from the 1977 plane crash, leading to speculation that this was why he was replaced.