Hospital Calls Netanyahu's Surgery a Success

An Israeli hospital says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery. Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center said his prostate was removed late Sunday. Netanyahu was placed under full anesthesia for the procedure, the AP reports. Doctors said he was awake and recovering Sunday night. Netanyahu's office had said Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close ally, would serve as acting prime minister during the procedure.

Doctors ordered the operation after detecting an infection last week. Netanyahu is expected to remain hospitalized for several days. He has had a series of health issues in recent years, which he has tried to counter by bolstering an image of himself as healthy and energetic. During his corruption trial this month, he boasted about working 18-hour days, accompanied by a cigar. That image suffered last year when Netanyahu's doctors revealed that he had a heart condition, which he apparently had long known about but concealed from the public. The 75-year-old is Israel's longest-serving leader.

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