UPDATE
9/14/16 9:00amEST: Peres remained sedated and on life support Wednesday. He is considered in stable but serious condition, with some improvement. Read the most recent update here.
UPDATE
9/13/16 5:00pmEST: Israel's Channel 1 report that Peres has suffered a "massive intracranial hemorrhage."
Shimon Peres, 93, was rushed to hospital following a stroke, Israeli media reported. Peres, the former President of Israel, was admitted to the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv today after telling his doctor he felt weak, JTA reports.
Initial reports in Israeli media said the stroke was mild and that his “condition is stable and he is fully conscious," but later reports identified his doctors as saying his condition is serious. The Times Of Israel reported that he is sedated and on a respirator for medical treatment.
In July, Peres was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm and he had a pacemaker successfully implanted a few weeks ago. Earlier in January he suffered a heart attack, and later had a cardiac angioplasty to open a blocked artery, JTA reports.
The highly-popular statesman, born Szymon Perski, served in the Knesset from 1959 almost uninterrupted until 2007 when he was chosen to be Israel’s ninth President. Throughout his distinguished career he has been awarded some of the world’s top honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and an honorary British knighthood.
Among his various political achievements, he is credited as being one of the key drivers behind Israel’s nuclear program and served in key defense roles in his early political career. In his later life, he has remained politically active and is one of the most vocal supporters of a two-state solution.
This report will be updated as the story unfolds.
