Jerusalem
CNN
—
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hospitalized Saturday with diabetes, his office said.
Netanyahu’s initial tests “came back normal” and he was in “good condition,” his office said in a statement.
He was admitted to the Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Khan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, on Saturday.
In a statement to CNN, Netanyahu complained of “slight dizziness” before his admission.
“On the recommendation of doctors, the Prime Minister is undergoing additional routine tests.”
The incident comes with Israel in the midst of a heat wave.
Temperatures in Israel have been reaching the mid-30s Celsius (low 90s Fahrenheit) for several days and are expected to continue at that level for the next week, according to the Israel Meteorological Agency.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid wished Netanyahu a “full recovery and good health” in a tweet.
Israel currently has no acting prime minister, meaning that with Netanyahu incapacitated, the cabinet must meet to elect an acting prime minister.
Justice Minister Yariv Levin remains deputy prime minister, but under Israel’s basic laws, acting prime minister is a separate role, meaning Levin will not automatically take over if Netanyahu becomes incapacitated.
There is currently no sign that Netanyahu is down.
Netanyahu, 73, is the leader of Israel’s center-right Likud party and has been a dominant figure in Israeli politics for nearly three decades.
In June 2021, he lost office for the first time in 12 years after rival Naftali Bennett won a parliamentary vote to form a government.
Eighteen months later, he was again prime minister in a dramatic fashion, cobbling together a coalition.
On Yom Kippur in October 2022, Netanyahu fell ill while visiting a synagogue.
He was admitted to hospital where he stayed overnight before being released.
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