Saudi King Salman discharged from hospital after 'reassuring' medical tests
Saudi Arabia's 90-year-old King Salman was discharged from hospital in Riyadh on Friday after undergoing medical tests, with the Royal Court describing the results as 'reassuring'. The monarch had been admitted earlier in the day to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital. His health has been a closely watched issue, with several hospital admissions in recent years. In 2024, he recovered from lung infections, and he was hospitalized in May 2022 for a colonoscopy and other tests. He also had hospital stays in March 2022 for pacemaker battery replacement and in 2020 for gallbladder surgery. King Salman has been on the throne since 2015, but his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been the de facto ruler since 2017. Given the king's recent health episodes and the kingdom's history of secrecy around his condition, what does this pattern of medical care reveal about the stability of Saudi leadership transitions?