Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has suffered a ‘significant’ stroke and is undergoing an operation, doctors at Jerusalem's Hadassah hospital say.

Officials said the 77-year-old leader was unconscious and had experienced a "massive" brain haemorrhage.

The Israeli leader's powers have been transferred to his deputy Ehud Olmert.

It is Sharon's second stroke in just over two weeks.

He suffered a minor stroke on 18 December which doctors said could have been the result of a blood clot caused by the hole in the heart.

Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital, told reporters at the hospital on Wednesday night that Sharon had "massive bleeding".

Sharon's press spokesman said he was currently undergoing an operation meant to stop the bleeding in his brain and contain the damage it had caused.

He also said "this is a much more serious condition than the previous one", referring to Sharon's first stroke.

'Prayers'

Sharon was carried to hospital in Jerusalem from his ranch in the Negev Desert in Israel's south by ambulance - a drive that normally takes more than an hour - instead of by helicopter.

US President George Bush said in a statement he shared the concerns of the Israeli people ‘and we are praying for his recovery’.

PHOTO CAPTION