Netanyahu to Undergo Operation, Yariv Levin to Serve as Acting Prime Minister

Jerusalem, 31 March, 2024 (TPS) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will undergo an operation for a hernia on Sunday night following the weekly Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office announced on Sunday.

With the 74-year-old Netanyahu under full anesthesia during the procedure, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin will serve as acting Prime Minister.

“In consultation with his doctors, it was decided that tonight, at the end of the agenda (Sunday, 31.3), the Prime Minister will arrive at the hospital for hernia surgery,” the statement said.

The hernia was discovered during a routine checkup on Saturday night.

A hernia occurs when an organ or fatty tissue squeezes through a weak spot or opening in the surrounding muscle or connective tissue. This usually happens in the abdominal wall, but it can also occur in other areas of the body. Patients are typically hospitalized one-three days depending on the severity.

The statement did not indicate which hospital the operation would be treating Netanyahu.