Reuters

Saudi King to Be Treated for Lung Inflammation, State News Agency Says

Reuters

11:50 JST, May 20, 2024

DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi King Salman will undergo a treatment program at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah for a lung inflammation, the state news agency said on Sunday, hours after he underwent medical tests.

Citing the royal court, the state news agency said the 88-year-old king would be treated with antibiotics until the inflammation subsides.

Due to King Salman’s health issue, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman postponed a visit to Japan that had been scheduled to begin on Monday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

Earlier on Sunday, King Salman underwent medical tests at the royal clinics at Al Salam Palace due to “high temperature and joint pain,” the state news agency said.

The king was last admitted to hospital in April for a routine checkup, state TV reported then.

King Salman, the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, became ruler of the world’s top oil exporter in 2015 after spending more than 2-1/2 years as the crown prince and deputy premier.