Ariel Sharon taken to emergency room: Hospital

Jerusalem, Jul 26: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was taken to a hospital emergency room today after his health worsened, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Sharon has been in a coma since January.

In a statement, the Sheba hospital near Tel Aviv said Sharon was taken to an emergency care unit to drain fluids in his body.

''The treatment is meant to be conducted within the next few days, in an emergency care unit,'' the statement said.

Sharon masterminded the 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the worsening of his health comes as Israel is once again fighting in its northern neighbour, battling Hizbollah guerrillas.

As defence minister, Sharon, as loved at home as he was loathed in the Arab world, sent the Israeli army as far as Beirut to root out Palestinian guerrillas.

Doctors at the hospital said on Sunday that the condition of the 78-year-old Sharon, who fell into a coma after a stroke on Jan. 4, had deteriorated.

They said he was suffering from an accumulation of fluids in his body and problems with the functioning of his kidneys.

REUTERS

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