Israel's 77-year-old Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was rushed to a hospital in Jerusalem on Sunday evening after suffering a minor stroke, doctors said. Sharon, who is seeking reelection early next year, had regained consciousness and was expected to be released shortly. "He suffered a mild stroke but his condition has improved," Yuval Weiss, deputy director at the Hadassah Hospital, said in a brief statement to reporters. "He is now speaking with his family and members of his bureau." The spokesman said that Sharon had not needed any "invasive procedure" and said he expected him to be released shortly without giving further details. The Cabinet Secretary Israel Maimon and Sharon's two sons Omri and Gilad arrived at the hospital around an hour after the prime minister was admitted shortly after 8:00pm (1800 GMT), an AFP correspondent at the scene reported. Sharon, who turns 78 in February, underwent surgery last year and also had a cancerous growth removed from his face in a Tel Aviv hospital the year before.