Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli hospital for pacemaker surgery

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was undergoing emergency surgery to have a pacemaker implanted into his chest, reports said.

This decision came after an alarm on Netanyahu’s heart monitor signaled the need for immediate treatment.

Netanyahu had been fitted with a monitoring device following a brief hospitalization due to dehydration last week.

“I feel excellent, but I listen to my doctors,” Netanyahu said during a videotaped statement released at 2 a.m. Sunday Israeli time, adding that despite the medical situation, he would continue to pursue his controversial plan to overhaul Israel’s judicial system.

Netanyahu said he anticipated being released from the hospital later Sunday, and planned to head to the Knesset for the expected vote on the overhaul.

His plan, which involves diminishing the power of the Israeli Supreme Court and exerting more control over the judiciary, has drawn large protests by hundreds of thousands of Israelis who believe he’s overstepping his authority.

Before his pacemaker procedure, Netanyahu also expressed hope that he could reach an agreement with those who oppose the plan.

By 2:35 a.m. Israeli time, Netanyahu had arrived at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, and the procedure was under way, according to the Times of Israel.

The pacemaker surgery requires Netanyahu to be sedated. During his hospitalization, Justice Minister Yariv Levin is to stand in for him.

A pacemaker can be used when a patient’s heart is beating too slowly, and occasionally for instances of heart failure, the National Institutes of Health says.

The device functions by sending electrical pulses to regulate the heart’s rhythm and ensure it pumps blood to the body at a standard rate.

With News Wire Services