Shimon Peres suffers mild heart attack

Marcy Oster

Shimon Peres in Tel Aviv, Nov. 30, 2015. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

Shimon Peres in Tel Aviv, Nov. 30, 2015. (Tomer Neuberg/FLASH90)

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Former Israeli President Shimon Peres is feeling well after suffering a mild heart attack.

Peres, 92, was taken to the hospital Thursday morning after feeling chest pains. He underwent a cardiac angioplasty in the catheterization lab at the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer to open a blocked artery, according to reports.

Peres will remain under observation in the hospital for several days.

Two weeks ago, social media was flooded with rumors that Peres had died, leading him to take to Facebook to declare that rumors of his demise were greatly exaggerated.

“I wish to thank the citizens of Israel for the support, concern and interest, and wish to clarify that the rumors are false,” Peres said in a Facebook post. “I’m continuing with my daily schedule as usual to do whatever I can to assist The State of Israel and its citizens.”

Peres retired as president of Israel in 2014 after more than half a century in public life.

In an interview earlier this week with JTA, Peres said that he is busier than ever, including his work with the Peres Center for Peace. On a typical day, he is up at 4:30 a.m. to read and walks on his treadmill, he said. By 8:30 he is at his office, and he often works until 11 p.m.

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