Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic group Hamas, in Jerusalem, February 18, 2024.
Ronen Zvulun | Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says the Israeli leader will undergo surgery for a hernia on Sunday.
Netanyahu’s office said the hernia was discovered during a routine check-up and that the prime minister will be under general anesthesia and unconscious for the procedure.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close confidant who also holds the title of deputy prime minister, will serve as acting prime minister during the operation, the office said.
Netanyahu, 74, has kept a busy schedule during Israel’s nearly six-month war against Hamas, and his doctors have said he is in good health.
Last year, however, doctors recognized that he had been hiding a long-known heart problem after they implanted a pacemaker.