Saudi King in stable condition after being admitted to hospital

RIYADH: Saudi King Salman held a cabinet meeting via video call from hospital in the capital Riyadh on Tuesday, a day after he was admitted for inflammation of the gall bladder.

A video of the king chairing the meeting was broadcast on Saudi state TV on Tuesday evening. In the video, King Salman can be seen behind a desk, reading and leafing through documents.

The 84-year-old monarch, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter since 2015, was undergoing medical checks, state media cited a Royal Court statement without further details.

King Salman received phone calls from the leaders of Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan on Monday, state media reported.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly flew back to Riyadh on Monday from his palace in the Red Sea city of NEOM, cancelling a planned meeting with a visiting Iraqi delegation.

King Salman last spoke publicly on March 19 in a five-minute televised address about the coronavirus pandemic.

State media have published pictures and videos of the king chairing online weekly cabinet meetings, and have also carried images of the crown prince attending those meetings online.

King Salman was deputy prime minister from June 2012 before becoming king. He also served as governor of the Riyadh region for more than 50 years.

He named his young son Mohammed as crown prince to become next in line to the throne after a ousted then-Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef in 2017.