A former Israeli President, Shimon Peres, has been admitted to hospital after suffering a serious stroke.
Doctors at the Sheba Medical Centre near Tel Aviv, where he is being treated, say Mr Peres is “in a critical condition but stable”.
The 93-year-old is in an induced coma in intensive care and is breathing with the help of a respirator.
In January, he underwent a successful minor surgery at the same hospital after suffering a small heart attack.
The veteran politician has held almost every major political office since Israel was founded in 1948.
He was also the architect of Israel’s secret nuclear programme.