Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Undergo Hernia Surgery

Published: 3/31/2024, 7:13:26 PM EDT
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Undergo Hernia Surgery
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives to attend a photo opportunity with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York City, on Sept. 20, 2023. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

JERUSALEM—Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says the Israeli leader will undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia.

Mr. Netanyahu's office said the hernia was discovered during a routine checkup, and that the prime minister will be under full anesthesia and unsconcious 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.

Mr. Netanyahu, 74, has kept a full schedule throughout Israel's nearly six-month-long war against Hamas terrorists, and his doctors have said he is in good health.

Last year, however, doctors acknowledged he had concealed a long-known heart problem after they implanted a pacemaker.