Bahrain’s Prince Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, the world’s longest-serving prime minister who had held the post since independence in 1971, died Wednesday at the age of 84, state media announced.

“The Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness… who passed away this morning at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America,” the Bahrain News Agency said, adding that the country would enter a week of official mourning.

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Al Khalifa died just hours after the Knesset (Israel Parliament) had ratified a normalization deal with his nation, one of two that the US President Trump administration facilitated along with the United Arab Emirates.

Read more at i24NEWS.