Saudi king to go under the knife again

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz (C) during an extraordinary summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Mecca on August 14, 2012.

Mon Nov 12, 2012 2:58AM GMT

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz will undergo a back operation in a Riyadh hospital next week to tighten up a loose ligament, the palace says.

"The operation will take place, God willing, next week at King Abdulaziz Medical City for the National Guard in Riyadh,” the Royal Court said in a statement, published by the official Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

The Saudi king was admitted to an intensive care unit in a hospital in June. He has undergone several surgeries in recent years.

In October 2011, the nearly-90-year-old king underwent an operation to tighten ligaments around his third vertebra. In 2010, he had two rounds of back surgery in the United States after suffering a herniated disc.

The number two to the throne has been regarded as King Abdullah’s heir following the deaths of his half-brothers Sultan and Nayef within the space of eight months.

Advanced age and failing health as well as the deaths of the king’s half-brothers have raised concerns about the future of the oil-rich country in the face of the ongoing domestic anti-government demonstrations against the kingdom’s suppressive policies towards the people.