Kuwait emir's eldest son undergoes major surgery

The eldest son of Kuwait's ruling emir underwent surgery to have a tumour in his lungs removed, the country's state news agency reported on Tuesday.

State-run KUNA said that 70-year-old Sheikh Nasser Sabah al-Sabah underwent surgery abroad, without specifying which country.

It also did not add if the tumour was cancerous, but called the procedure "successful".

Sheikh Nasser - who is also Kuwait's defence minister - will spend a few days in hospital before returning to the oil-rich emirate. 

Sheikh Nasser is the son of Kuwait's 89-year-old ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah. He took up the defence minister post in December, his first ministerial position in the country. 

Although Sheikh Nasser is not currently in line for the throne, his appointment drew attention in Kuwait as it came after Saudi King Salman similarly appointed his son to defence minister before upending succession and making him the crown prince. 

Kuwait has been leading mediation efforts to end the Gulf crisis, which began in June 2017 after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, along with regional power Egypt, launched an air, naval and land blockade against Qatar.

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