Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly acknowledged for the first time on Friday that he had prostate cancer, which has been cured, and that he is now healthy, LETA reported citing AP.
Netanyahu reported that he underwent prostate surgery about a year and a half ago. Approximately two and a half years ago, doctors discovered a small tumor and treated it at the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, but this was not disclosed at the time.
"I demanded to postpone the announcement for two months so that it would not be published during the peak of the war [with Iran], and also to prevent additional false propaganda against Israel," said the 76-year-old prime minister.
Netanyahu stated that he is now healthy and referred to the discovered tumor as "a minor medical issue."
In the early weeks of the war with Iran, Netanyahu's health became a subject of speculation, as Iranian state media and other sources circulated artificially generated fake images of his death.
Aharon Popovtser, the director of the oncology department at Hadassah hospital, reported that Netanyahu's prostate cancer was diagnosed at an early stage. He noted that prostate cancer is a common disease among men of this age.
"Based on the results of these tests, we can say that the disease has disappeared," Popovtser said.
Netanyahu, who has served as Israel's prime minister longer than anyone else, has previously faced criticism for not disclosing information about his health. He once informed the public that he had a pacemaker implanted a week after he fainted at a public event.
