Former Israeli president Shimon Peres, 92, was admitted to the hospital for the second time this month after experiencing chest pain. Peres was rushed back for treatment a week after being released in good condition following a mild heart attack.
On Sunday, Peres experienced renewed chest pain. Magen David Adom paramedics who performed an electrocardiogram test on Peres found that he was experiencing a mildly irregular heartbeat.
According to Reuters, Peres’s son-in-law and personal physician, Dr. Rafi Walden, said that Peres “felt a slight discomfort and we diagnosed that he has some difficulty with the rhythm of the heart, which is called atrial fibrillation. He was taken to hospital…and this is over already spontaneously, without even the need for any treatment.”
Peres’s initial heart attack and current relapse have gripped international media due to the statesman’s widely known career as a politician and de facto global spokesperson for the Jewish state.
Peres has served as Israel’s prime minister, defence minister, finance minister, and foreign affairs minister. Most recently, he was Israel’s president until his retirement from politics in 2014. Peres also spearheaded the development of Israel’s nuclear program and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the 1993 Oslo Accords.
According to Israel’s Army Radio, Peres is feeling well now, and the tests “conducted have not revealed any irregularities.” According to Dr. Walden, the former President will remain in hospital “to allow him to continue to be monitored.”
