The Royal Court said the surgery was carried out to repair the vertebrae after medical tests showed that the grip around the king’s third vertebrae had loosened. King Abdullah arrived at the hospital on Sunday.

Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif, who chaired the weekly Council of Ministers meeting on Monday, said King Abdullah is in good health after the operation.

“I would like to reassure you about the king’s health after the successful surgical operation. By the grace of God, the king is enjoying good health,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted Prince Naif as telling the Cabinet.

On behalf of the ministers, Prince Naif prayed for the king’s good health and long life.

Last November, King Abdullah had traveled to the US for treatment after he suffered a slipped disc and a blood clot that was pressing the nerves on his back.

The Cabinet meeting, meanwhile, reviewed the contact and consultations made by King Abdullah with world leaders including US President Barack Obama during the past week on regional and global developments.

The Cabinet congratulated King Abdullah on the global support his proposal to set up an international center for interfaith dialogue in Vienna received. An agreement was signed last week to establish the King Abdullah International Dialogue Center in the Austrian capital.

Saudi Arabia thanked the Austrian and Spanish governments as well as other parties that have supported the proposal.

The Vienna center, according to the Cabinet, will work for promoting cultural and interfaith dialogue and strengthening cooperation between nations to establish justice, peace and reconciliation and prevent violence.

The Cabinet also referred to the distribution of the King Abdullah International Prize for Translation during a ceremony in Beijing last week and said the prize would contribute to promoting translation and cultural exchange between countries.