Saudi Arabia's King Salman was discharged from hospital where he was admitted a week after undergoing medical tests, including a colonoscopy, state media said on Monday.
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A video released by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) late Sunday shows the 86-year-old monarch being walked out of King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Jeddah (west), with the help of a cane and surrounded by officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, before being placed in a car.
He was discharged "
after completing medical examinations and successfully completing the treatment plan and recovery period
," the SPA said on Twitter.
Weakened in recent years by illness, the king has ruled the Saudi kingdom since 2015, the world's leading exporter of crude oil and the largest economy in the Arab world.
In recent years, the monarch has become increasingly rare in public, stoking rumors about his state of health.
He uses a cane to move around and his speech has become more hesitant.
His son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is now considered the de facto ruler of the kingdom.
Saudi authorities rarely release information about the monarch's health.
Last week, state media reported that King's colonoscopy results were "
good
" and doctors had "
decided to keep him in the hospital for a while to rest."
In July 2020 he underwent surgery to remove his gallbladder and in 2010 he had surgery for a herniated disc.
King Salman took over the reins of Saudi Arabia after the death of King Abdullah, his half-brother.
He then had a long experience of power, having chaired, when he was crown prince, the Council of Ministers and represented abroad the sovereign who suffered from health problems.
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