Saudi Arabia's King Salman leaves hospital, tweets Eid greetings

Saudi Arabia's 84-year-old ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, tweeted Eid-ul-Adha greetings early on Friday shortly after leaving hospital.

King Salman, who is the custodian of Islam's holiest sites, had left the King Faisal hospital on Thursday after undergoing surgery to remove his gallbladder earlier in the week, the state news agency SPA had reported.

King Salman also prayed for an end to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I congratulate everyone on the occasion of Eid al-Adha," the Tweet said.

"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-ul-Adha in Saudi Arabia.

King Salman had been admitted to hospital on July 20 after 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.