Before Official Announcement, Kuwait Questioned Rumors over Late Emir

The royal court announced, a short while ago, the death of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah at the age of 91.

He had ruled the country for nearly 15 years.

Earlier today, many unconfirmed reports have been circulated on social media about the death of the late Emir.

Yet, the Kuwaiti government official spokesman, Tariq Al-Muzrim denied those reports, calling on the international community to obtain accurate information from official sources and not pay attention to what is being raised on social media, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas.

[caption id="attachment_153504" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Kuwaiti Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah[/caption]

Last July, the head of the Emir’s office announced that the Kuwaiti Emir had successfully undergone surgery.

A day before the surgery, the news agency reported that Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber al-Sabah was admitted to the hospital for a medical check-up.

Hours later, a royal decree was issued stating that Kuwait's crown prince would temporarily exercise some of the ruling Emir's constitutional duties.

Last year, the country acknowledged that the Emir had suffered an unspecified medical "setback" that required him to be hospitalized.