Saudi Arabia’s 84-year-old King Salman on Thursday underwent successful surgery to remove his gallbladder, the state news agency SPA reported.
On Monday, Salman was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh for medical tests after experiencing an inflammation of the gallbladder, the Saudi royal court said in a brief statement at the time.
“The king will spend some time in the hospital according to the treatment plan recommended by the medical team,’’ the royal court said according to SPA.
There has been much speculation about the health of Salman, who has ruled oil-rich Saudi Arabia since 2015.
In 2017, Salman ceded most of his power to his son, Crown Prince Mohammed, who is the country’s de-facto ruler.
That same year, dozens of Saudi royals, former state officials and influential businessmen were rounded up in an alleged anti-corruption sweep championed by the young crown prince.
Mohammed, 34, is seen as the driving force behind opening up the ultra-conservative country to the outside world and weaning its economy off oil.
The prince stands accused of orchestrating the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey in 2018, an accusation Saudi officials have repeatedly denied.
dpa/NAN
