Ariel Sharon to return home after five years in hospital

Ariel Sharon, the hardline former Israeli Prime Minister who was replaced after being struck down by a stroke, is likely to return home shortly, after spending nearly five years in hospital, Israel media reported Thursday.

The 82-year-old army general-turned-politician remained in a vegetative state at the Sheba Medical Center, near Tel Aviv, after the illness rendered him comatose in January 2006, RTTNews reports.

Sharon's family agreed to take him home, after insisting for two years that he be cared for in hospital, a spokeswoman from the Sheba hospital east of Tel Aviv said.

According to the hospital, previous attempts to bring Sharon to his home had not borne fruit 'because of the family's refusal'.

Hospital spokeswoman Michal Shabtay said Sharon would first spend a number of temporary leaves from the hospital at the ranch, which if successful, would pave the way for his full return home, according to Sify.