President Shimon Peres returned home to Jerusalem on Sunday after spending the night under observation at Chaim Sheba Hospital in the Tel HaShomer Medical Center in Tel Aviv after collapsing Saturday evening during a speaking engagement.
"He feels great and we literally had to persuade him to go to the hospital," explained spokeswoman Ayelet Frisch, who told a Channel 2 television news team that Peres "had a little flu last week, but continued work as usual."
The octogenarian regained consciousness a few moments later and walked on his own into the next room, where he was examined by medics before being taken to the hospital.
The president's personal physician, Professor Rafi Valdan said test results on Saturday night and Sunday morning both returned with normal levels.
"We can probably convince him to take it easy today, I can't promise anything for the coming days," Valdan said. He blamed the 86-year-old president's collapse on his notoriously busy schedule, adding, "It was very hot there and he was standing up for a long time and felt weak. He feels fine now."
Due to a strike by local authorities that included a slow-moving convoy on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway, the president was transported back to Jerusalem by helicopter.
Peres, who immigrated to Israel in 1934, was elected to become the country's ninth president in 2007. He is generally known to be in good health.