Out of hospital, Saudi King tweets Eid greetings
- By Reuters -
- Jul 31, 2020
The Saudi King, custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, left King Faisal hospital on Thursday after undergoing surgery to remove his gallbladder earlier in the week, the state news agency SPA had reported.
The king, who has ruled the world’s largest oil exporter and close U.S. ally since 2015, also prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I congratulate everyone on the occasion of Eid al-Adha,” the Tweet said.
أهنئ الجميع بعيد الأضحى المبارك، أعاده الله علينا وعليكم بالخير والبركة والصحة والعافية.
كما نسأله تبارك وتعالى أن يتقبل من الحجاج حجهم، ومن المسلمين طاعتهم، وأن يرفع عن بلادنا والعالم وباء جائحة كورونا بفضله ورحمته، وكل عام وأنتم بخير.— سلمان بن عبدالعزيز (@KingSalman) July 31, 2020
“I ask God almighty …. to lift the pandemic from our country and the world with his grace and mercy.”
Friday marks the first day of Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, one of the two most important festivals of the Islamic calender.
King Salman had been admitted to hospital on July 20 suffering from inflammation of the gall bladder.
In a video released by SPA late on Thursday, the king could be seen walking steadily out of hospital, followed by several aides and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wearing a face mask. The king was walking with a cane, as he usually does.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MbS as he is widely referred to, is Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler and next in line to the throne.
The king had chaired a meeting via video from hospital last week before his surgery. In a video aired by state media outlets, he could be seen reading and leafing through documents.