Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was fitted with a pacemaker on Sunday after experiencing a heart arrhythmia, and was under observation in the cardiac ward of a Tel Aviv-area hospital, his doctors said.
“The implant went smoothly without any complications. He is not in a life-threatening condition and he feels great and is returning to his daily routine,” said Roy Beinart, who manages the arrhythmia centre at Sheba Medical Center.
Netanyahu had been given a heart monitor a week ago after being hospitalised for what he said was dehydration from holidaying at the Sea of Galilee without properly protecting himself from a heatwave.
The 73-year-old leader was summoned urgently on Saturday night after a “temporary arrhythmia” was detected, Beinart said.
Before the implant, a smiling Netanyahu recorded a video declaring: “I feel great, but I need to listen to my doctors.”
Netanyahu’s office said on Sunday he was expected to be discharged later in the day. Meanwhile the weekly cabinet meeting was postponed.
He faces a domestic crisis in his record sixth term as prime minister, with protests surging against his religious-nationalist coalition’s push for judicial changes.
Tens of thousands of Israelis marched to Jerusalem on Saturday, hoping to drum up support against the judicial overhaul. They rallied outside parliament ahead of Monday’s vote on a bill that would limit some of the Supreme Court’s powers.
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