Medical sources said he likely experienced a transient ischemic attack, a clot in or leading to his brain that is also labeled a mini-stroke but is more accurately characterized as a warning stroke.
By GIL HOFFMAN, JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHIsaac Herzog(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog was released from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center on Saturday, after suffering a mild stroke the previous evening.A hospital spokesman said Herzog came because he felt ill, underwent tests that raised suspicion of a mild stroke, and was kept overnight in order as a precaution.Medical sources said he likely experienced a transient ischemic attack, a clot in or leading to his brain that is also labeled a mini-stroke but is more accurately characterized as a warning stroke.Zionist Union and Labor Party chairman Herzog, 56, does not smoke, is not overweight and is not enduring a particularly stressful time in his work. But he did not feel well at a family dinner at his Tel Aviv home, and his wife, Michal, urged him to go to the hospital.“I am happy that it is behind me,” Herzog said in a video message he posted on Facebook.He thanked the staff of the hospital, calling them “angels in white and green, professionals who give their heart and soul to everyone.”Herzog received calls over the weekend from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and politicians from across the political spectrum and around the world.Herzog’s rival in Labor, MK Shelly Yacimovich, is expected to make a decision by Sunday on whether to challenge incumbent Avi Nissenkorn for the chairmanship of the Histadrut labor federation. If she wins and leaves the Knesset, she would be replaced by the next candidate on the Zionist Union list, Saleh Saad, who is Druse.