Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he hopes to “return to action very quickly” after he was diagnosed with a hernia which required a medical procedure under general anesthesia on Sunday.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said a hernia was found during a “routine checkup” on Saturday, confirming that the 74-year-old leader would be briefly incapacitated during surgery on Sunday night. Netanyahu’s deputy and close ally, Yariv Levin, who is also the country’s justice minister, temporarily filled his role during the procedure.
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Early on Monday morning, Netanyahu’s office said that the surgery had been successful and that he was “in good shape and beginning to recover.”
Ahead of the procedure, Netanyahu held a press conference indicating that his condition was not serious. “I assure you that I will get through this treatment successfully and return to action very quickly,” the Israeli leader told reporters.
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A hernia is an opening or weakness in the muscle wall, which allows internal tissue or organ, usually abdominal, to protrude outward. Netanyahu’s doctors, however, did not say where exactly the hernia had been discovered.
Israel’s longest-serving leader, now into his sixth term, underwent heart surgery last July, during which he was fitted with a pacemaker. On that occasion Levin also served as acting prime minister while Netanyahu was incapacitated.
Netanyahu’s latest health concern comes as Israel continues to wage war against Hamas in Gaza. The prime minister has vowed to eliminate the Palestinian militant group after it staged a deadly raid into Israel last October, in which some 1,200 people were killed and dozens taken hostage. The Israeli campaign has inflicted heavy damage on Gaza, leaving at least 32,000 people dead, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
On Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated his resolve to achieve a “victory,” revealing that he had already approved an “operational plan” for a renewed push into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.