Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Tuesday hosted Abu Dhabi's crown prince for talks, state media said, after the Gulf allies threw their support behind Sudan's military rulers who ousted veteran leader Omar al-Bashir.

Abu Dhabi's Prince Mohammed bin Zayed discussed "regional developments" with the king and his powerful son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official Saudi Press Agency said in a brief report.

Saudi Arabia is looking to find a way out of its devastating war in Yemen and the United States, the kingdom's stalwart ally, can play a critical role, the International Crisis Group said Sunday.

The group, which researches ways to end conflicts, said the United States should appoint a special envoy and suspend most arms shipments to the Saudis with a promise to resume them once the kingdom ends its four-year offensive against Huthi rebels who control much of their southern neighbor.

With Sudan in turmoil following the ouster of their ally Omar al-Bashir, Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the UAE are following events closely as they seek to protect their interests, analysts say.

Saudi Arabia has slashed its oil production by more than promised as part of a pact to boost oil prices, the International Energy Agency said Thursday, while warning of mixed signals for global demand.

Riyadh welcomed Tuesday Washington's blacklisting of arch-rival Tehran's elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, state media reported.

The US State Department Monday barred entry to 16 Saudi nationals over what it described as their role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi as the administration of Donald Trump continues to face harsh criticism over its handling of the affair.

Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday the oil market was "moving towards balance", and that producers may not need to make additional output cuts.

Saudi Arabia has arrested at least eight writers and bloggers, including two U.S. citizens, in an apparent crackdown on supporters of detained women activists whose trial has drawn global censure, campaigners said Friday.

Saudi air defences intercepted two drones launched  by Huthi rebels from neighbouring Yemen but debris wounded five civilians, including a child, a Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels said on Wednesday. 

The drones targeted Khamis Mushait, home to a major airbase in the southwest of kingdom, coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The German government has extended a ban on arms exports to Saudi Arabia by six months until the end of September, but is making a conditional exception for systems developed jointly with other countries.

Germany imposed the ban following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul last year. Britain and France have criticized Germany's stance, saying the ban prevented them selling jointly developed equipment with German components to the Gulf nation.