Kuwait Emir Sheikh Sabah undergoes 'successful' surgery

Regional leaders call emir with wishes for good health

According to official Kuwaiti news reports, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah underwent a successful surgery July 19. EPA

Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Sabah, has successfully undergone a surgical procedure, after he was admitted to hospital on Saturday for medical checks, state news agency Kuna reported.

The Kuwaiti Minister of Court Affairs, Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al Sabah, did not give details of the surgery but wished the 91-year-old ruler a “rapid recovery and well-being”.

On Saturday, a royal decree enabled Sheikh Sabah’s half-brother and crown prince, 83-year-old Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, to assume some of the emir’s duties on a temporary basis.

Officials from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Iraq spoke to the emir and crown prince to check on the ruler's health, their official news agencies reported.

President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa, sent a message of congratulations to the emir for his surgery and wished him a "speedy recovery and continuous good health".

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, also sent similar congratulatory messages to the Kuwaiti emir.

The royal family also suffered a bereavement with the death of Sheikh Naser Al Jaber Al Sabah, 89. Kuna said he was laid to rest on Sunday.
Sheikh Sabah, who has ruled Kuwait since 2006, is a key player in regional politics.

Last year he was admitted to hospital in the United States while on an official visit there, after suffering what his office described as a health setback in August. He returned to Kuwait in October.