Saudi King Abdullah has called for reason and wisdom during a telephone conversation with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in which he discussed the latest clashes between Gaza and Israel, state news agency SPA reported.

The monarch, whose country is a heavyweight in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, told Morsi "that things must calm down and reason and wisdom must reign over passionate reactions," SPA said late on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Riyadh for talks with his Arab counterparts in the Gulf on Wednesday that are expected to highlight differences on the conflict in Syria.

Lavrov began his visit by meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal, an AFP correspondent reported.

Saudi King Abdullah and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas met on Monday, SPA state news agency said, as the Palestinian Authority intensified efforts to bid for non-state membership of the U.N.

The two leaders discussed "developments in the Palestinian issue, as well as the obstacles facing peace in the region and the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories," the agency in a brief report.

A Saudi was beheaded by the sword on Monday after being convicted of murdering a fellow citizen in the kingdom's oil-rich Eastern Province, the interior ministry said.

Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Shamri was found guilty of shooting dead Mohammed bin Jaloud al-Anzi, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official SPA news agency.

Saudi King Abdullah is to undergo another operation on a back problem in a Riyadh hospital this week, the palace announced on Sunday.

Medical tests "showed the presence of a slackening ligament in the upper back," it said in a statement carried by the official news agency SPA.

South Korea's Ulsan Hyundai beat Al Ahli of Saudi Arabia 3-0 to claim their first AFC Champions League title on Saturday.

Kwak Tae-Hwi struck in the first half, and Brazilian striker Rafinha and Kim Seung-Yong scored after the break in a comprehensive win for the hosts at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium.

The United States plans a $6.7 billion sale of 20 heavy cargo aircraft and five refueling planes to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon announced Friday, in a deal to be approved by Congress.

The multibillion-dollar deal includes the cost of training, logistical support, parts and associated equipment for the aircraft, said a statement released by the Defense Department's agency for foreign arms sales.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has been discharged from hospital in Saudi Arabia and is recovering, his press secretary said on Wednesday, after a second minor operation in less than four months.

"President Bashir left the hospital today at 8:00 am local time," and is now recovering in the Saudi kingdom before continuing with his schedule there, Emad Sayed Ahmed told Agence France Presse.

The March 14 opposition alliance is hinging on a French-Saudi initiative that would steer Lebanon clear of the Syrian war and lead to a change in the Lebanese government, al-Mustaqbal movement sources said Wednesday.

Such an initiative would keep Lebanon away of the “Syrian swamp” and could expand to include the United States and Russia, the sources told As Safir daily.

The major point of contention between Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat and the March 14 opposition alliance is his insistence to reappoint Prime Minister Najib Miqati if the cabinet collapses, As Safir daily reported on Tuesday.

Jumblat, a centrist, has a major role in deciding the fate of the majority alliance that makes up the current Hizbullah-led cabinet.