Washington (CNN) Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud will no longer be in attendance at President Barack Obama's meetings with Arab leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council this week.

The late change of plans, could be seen as a snub to Obama, coming just four days before the start of two days of sessions beginning Wednesday and culminating in a Camp David summit on Thursday.

"We first learned of the King's possible change of plans from the Saudis on Friday night," said a senior administration official. "This was confirmed by the Saudis on Saturday. We coordinated closely with our Saudi partners on the alternate arrangement and timing of the announcement, and look forward to welcoming Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."

The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in a statement acknowledged the King's absence was "due to the timing of the summit, the scheduled humanitarian ceasefire in Yemen and the opening of the King Salman Center for Humanitarian Aid."

"I want to lay to rest this notion of this being a snub or a problem with the relationship," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir told Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Situation Room on Monday.

The king called Obama on Monday, though, White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said in the afternoon.

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf backed the Saudi version of the king's absence during a press briefing Monday.

"Nothing could be further from the truth that there was some, some snub to use the cable news talking point," Harf said Monday. "King Salman made this decision given what's going on in Yemen."

Harf added that Salman's surrogates replacing Salman at Camp David are "fully empowered" to head the Saudi delegation and discuss the issues, pointing to the pair's role in intelligence and defense. The crown prince is also the Saudi Interior Minister and his deputy heads the Defense Ministry.

"We believe that the right mix of people will be there," Harf said.

On Monday, the Embassy of Bahrain confirms reports that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa will not be attending the summit either, and will instead send Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a coalition launching air strikes against the Houthi rebels which have gained control of much of Yemen.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayed will now lead the Saudi delegation in his place, which will also include Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Photos: Unrest in Yemen Photos: Unrest in Yemen The sky over Sanaa, Yemen, is illuminated by anti-aircraft fire during a Saudi-led airstrike on Friday, April 17. The coalition's warplanes have been carrying out strikes against Houthi rebels since President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi fled the country in late March. Hide Caption 1 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A Yemeni boy holds a rifle as Houthi supporters attend a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, April 5, protesting airstrikes carried out by a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels. Hide Caption 2 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Yemenis dig graves on Saturday, April 4, to bury the victims of a reported airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition in the village of Bani Matar, Yemen. Hide Caption 3 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Yemenis search for survivors in the rubble of houses destroyed by Saudi-led airstrikes on April 4 in a village near Sanaa. Hide Caption 4 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Central Sanaa is covered in dust on Friday, April 3. Airstrikes have turned the bustling capital of Yemen into a ghost town. Hide Caption 5 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A Yemeni man loads a TV set into a van as he prepares to flee Sanaa on Thursday, April 2. Hide Caption 6 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Militiamen loyal to Hadi take positions on a street in Aden, Yemen, on Thursday, April 2. Houthi rebels seized the presidential palace in Aden, a neutral security official and two Houthi commanders in Aden told CNN. The Houthis are Shiite Muslims who have long felt marginalized in the majority Sunni country. The Sunni Saudis consider the Houthis proxies for the Shiite government of Iran and fear another Shiite-dominated state in the region. Hide Caption 7 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A framed photo and a purse hang on the wall of a house destroyed by an airstrike near the Sanaa airport on Tuesday, March 31. Hide Caption 8 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Buildings burn at the Jabal al-Hadid military camp in Aden on Saturday, March 28. Yemeni military officials said an explosion rocked the camp that houses a weapons depot, killing and wounding several people. The camp reportedly had been taken by security forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Some of the forces aligned with the Houthis are also loyal to Saleh, who resigned in 2012 after months of Arab Spring protests. Hide Caption 9 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Yemeni supporters of the Houthi movement attend a demonstration against Saudi military operations Thursday, March 26, in Sanaa. Hide Caption 10 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen People search for survivors under the rubble of houses destroyed by airstrikes near the Sanaa Airport on March 26. Hide Caption 11 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Members of Yemen's General People's Committee deploy in Aden, Yemen, on Wednesday, March 25. The militiamen are loyal to Hadi. Hide Caption 12 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen On March 25, honor guards in Sanaa carry the coffins of victims who were killed in suicide bombing attacks several days earlier. Deadly explosions in Sanaa rocked two mosques serving the Zaidi sect of Shiite Islam, which is followed by the Houthi rebels that took over the capital city in January. Hide Caption 13 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Yemenis stand in front of burning tires during an anti-Houthi protest in Taiz, Yemen, on Tuesday, March 24. Hide Caption 14 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Medics treat an anti-Houthi protester who was injured during clashes with pro-Houthi police in Taiz on March 24. Hide Caption 15 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Armed men inspect damage after an explosion at the Al Badr mosque in Sanaa on Friday, March 20. Hide Caption 16 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A man in Aden holds a police shield that he looted from a base belonging to forces loyal to Saleh on Thursday, March 19. Hide Caption 17 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthi supporters in Sanaa deploy giant national flags Wednesday, March 18, during a demonstration to mark the fourth anniversary of the "Friday of Dignity" attack. In 2011, forces loyal to Saleh opened fire on protesters who had gathered in Sanaa to demand the ouster of Saleh and his regime. Hide Caption 18 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Supporters of Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of the former President, wave banners and shout slogans during a demonstration in Sanaa on Tuesday, March 10. The demonstrators were demanding presidential elections be held and that the younger Saleh run for office. Hide Caption 19 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A child raises his fist during a rally by Houthi supporters in Sanaa on Friday, March 6. Hide Caption 20 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Thousands of armed Yemeni tribal members gather in the southern province of Shabwa on Monday, February 23. Hide Caption 21 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement perform prayers during a demonstration in Aden on Friday, February 13. Hide Caption 22 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthi fighters guard the gate of the presidential palace where a bomb went off and wounded three people in Sanaa on Saturday, February 7. Hide Caption 23 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Yemeni soldiers guard the presidential palace in Sanaa on Friday, February 6. Hide Caption 24 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Members of the Houthi movement and their allies attend a meeting in the Yemeni capital on Sunday, February 1. Hide Caption 25 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Supporters of the separatist Southern Movement flash the victory sign after they seized police security checkpoints on Saturday, January 24, in Ataq, the capital of the Shabwa province in Yemen. Policemen were told to give up their weapons and return to their bases before the militiamen raised flags of the formerly independent South Yemen at the checkpoints. Hide Caption 26 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthi rebels fight with Yemeni protesters during a rally in Sanaa on January 24. Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets of Sanaa in the largest demonstration against Houthis since the Shiite militiamen overran the capital in September. Hide Caption 27 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen On Friday, January 23, Houthis carry coffins of those killed during recent clashes with presidential guard forces in Sanaa. Hide Caption 28 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A Houthi militiaman sits near a tank near the presidential palace in Sanaa on Thursday, January 22. Hide Caption 29 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthi men wearing army uniforms stand guard on a street leading to the presidential palace in Sanaa on Wednesday, January 21. Hide Caption 30 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A wounded man rests at a hospital in Sanaa on January 21. He was reportedly injured in fierce clashes the previous day. Hide Caption 31 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A tank is stationed in front of the Sanaa house of President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi on January 21. Hide Caption 32 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A Houthi rebel mans a checkpoint near the presidential palace on January 21. Hide Caption 33 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A man walks inside a heavily damaged house near the presidential palace on Tuesday, January 20. Hide Caption 34 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A woman walks past closed shops in Sanaa on January 20. Hide Caption 35 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen An armed member of the Houthi movement stands guard in the streets of Sanaa on January 20. Hide Caption 36 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen A man surveys his damaged home in Sanaa on January 20. Hide Caption 37 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthis inspect a damaged mosque in Sanaa on January 20. Hide Caption 38 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthi men raise their weapons during clashes near the presidential palace on Monday, January 19. Hide Caption 39 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Smoke and flames rise in Sanaa during heavy clashes between presidential guards and Houthi rebels on January 19. Hide Caption 40 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Tribal soldiers protecting the city from Houthi rebels stand guard at the city borders in Marib, Yemen, on January 19. Hide Caption 41 of 42 Photos: Unrest in Yemen Houthi men guard a Sanaa street on January 19. Hide Caption 42 of 42

The shuffle comes after the White House announced on Friday that the King would not only be in attendance but would also have a one-on-one meeting with Obama.

On Friday, White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz told reporters King Salman was to meet with the President on Wednesday at the White House, ahead of an expanded dinner with the other leaders of the Gulf states.

The White House is downplaying the significance of the change.

A senior administration official told CNN the White House was aware of the King's change of plans in advance and doesn't think it's because of any substantive disagreement.

"We look forward to the attendance of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, with whom the President has met on several occasions, including in the Oval Office in December 2014 and January 2013, as well as Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the President met when he traveled to Riyadh in January," the senior administration official said.

In April, Obama revealed his intention to invite the Gulf Cooperation Council states to a summit the day the framework nuclear deal with Iran was announced as the administration tries to ease the concerns of those countries over the agreement with Tehran.

Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos The mountains on the Saudi-Yemeni border are beautiful -- but difficult to patrol. Hide Caption 1 of 6 Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos Watch towers are equipped with thermal imaging equipment, while cameras watch out over mile upon mile of razor wire. Hide Caption 2 of 6 Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos The men crowded inside the mesh cage welded to a pickup truck told us they had come to Saudi Arabia for work. One of them was just 11 years old. Hide Caption 3 of 6 Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos This man was detained trying to cross the mountainous border from Yemen into Saudi Arabia. Hide Caption 4 of 6 Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos These two youths were detained with the narcotic shrub qat that most Yemenis chew every day, Hide Caption 5 of 6 Photos: The thin line against terrorism: How Saudis struggle amid Yemen chaos Several tons of qat lie piled up outside a guard post -- the haul of the past week, or so we were told. Hide Caption 6 of 6

"When it comes to external aggression, I think we're going to be there for our (Arab) friends -- and I want to see how we can formalize that a little bit more than we currently have, and also help build their capacity so that they feel more confident about their ability to protect themselves from external aggression," the President told The New York Times in an interview last month.

Building up that common defense infrastructure and architecture for the Gulf region will be a key part of this week's summit, an administration official told CNN.

The summit is set to work towards a proposal for a common ballistic missile defense system that could act as a deterrent to a potentially nuclear armed Iran, a U.S. official confirmed to CNN.

The official said the goal would be for the Gulf states to operate the missile defense system themselves, with the U.S. providing advisory and technical support.

A ballistic missile defense system for the Gulf Cooperation Council is something the Obama administration has recommended for some time, the official noted, and also cautioned that missile defense is only one component of a range of security measures that will be discussed.

Just last Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry met with King Salman in the Saudi capital Riyadh to prepare for the GCC Summit and to discuss a ceasefire in Yemen. The next day in Paris the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister, Adel Al Jubeir, announced a five-day ceasefire beginning Tuesday in Yemen so humanitarian aid could be distributed.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated the ministries headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.