Israel’s Netanyahu Rushed to Hospital, His Office Says He Was Likely Dehydrated

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)
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Israel’s Netanyahu Rushed to Hospital, His Office Says He Was Likely Dehydrated

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 23, 2023. (Reuters)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday was rushed to a hospital, where he was assessed to be in “good condition” as he underwent a medical evaluation, his office said. Initial tests determined the Israeli leader was suffering from dehydration.

A statement from Netanyahu's office said that he had spent Friday enjoying Israel's Sea of Galilee at a time of high summer temperatures. It said he felt dizzy and his doctor instructed him to go to Sheba Hospital, near the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

The statement said initial tests found everything to be sound, and that it appeared Netanyahu was suffering from dehydration. It said doctors had ordered further tests.

Israel is currently in the midst of a heat wave, with temperatures in the mid-30s degrees Celsius, (mid-90s in Fahrenheit).

Netanyahu, 73, is Israel's longest serving leader. He has served multiple terms stretching over 15 years in office. His current far-right government, a collection of religious and ultranationalist parties, took office last December.

Netanyahu is said to be in generally good health, though he was briefly hospitalized last October after feeling unwell during prayers on Yom Kippur, day when observant Jews fast.

Tens of thousands of Israelis have held weekly demonstrations against Netanyahu's government to protest his plan to overhaul the country's judiciary.

Netanyahu's allies say the plan is needed to rein in the power of unelected judges. But his opponents say the plan will destroy the country's fragile system of checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his allies.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid issued a statement wishing Netanyahu a “full recovery and good health.”

“Feel better,” Lapid said on Twitter.



Work, Travel Resume Across Taiwan after Typhoon Krathon Dissipates

A worker removes uprooted trees following Typhoon Krathon's fall in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, 04 October 2024. .  EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A worker removes uprooted trees following Typhoon Krathon's fall in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, 04 October 2024. . EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Work, Travel Resume Across Taiwan after Typhoon Krathon Dissipates

A worker removes uprooted trees following Typhoon Krathon's fall in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, 04 October 2024. .  EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A worker removes uprooted trees following Typhoon Krathon's fall in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, 04 October 2024. . EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Work, classes and flights resumed across Taiwan on Friday after Typhoon Krathon brought torrential rainfall to the island but finally dissipated over a mountain range.
A heavy rain advisory remained in place for the northern coast and mountainous areas, where two landslides occurred early Friday.
Krathon had brought much of the island to a standstill for three days but weakened to a tropical depression early Friday. Its center moved back over the sea after making a “U-turn” across the island’s southwestern tip overnight, The Associated Press reported.
Schools and businesses reopened with the exception of the city of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, and some parts of Hualien County and New Taipei. Domestic flights, which had been grounded for two days, resumed.
Krathon lashed Kaohsiung with winds up to 126 kph (78 mph) and higher gusts. It felled trees and flooded roads. Heavy rains and flooding also occurred along Taiwan’s southern and eastern coasts. Mountainous Taitung County saw 171 centimeters (5.6 feet) of rain over six days.
Two people died earlier in the week and one person remained missing, according to Taiwan’s fire department. The missing person was swept off a bridge.
Authorities had expected Krathon to bring devastation comparable to a major typhoon that swept Kaohsiung in 1977, causing 37 deaths.
But it lost steam shortly after making landfall in Kaohsiung and reaching the mountains northeast of the city, according to the Central Weather Administration.
Krathon was one of only two typhoons in recent history to “die” over Taiwan, beside Typhoon Trami, in 2001, the weather agency said.