Drone strike launched from Lebanon toward Netanyahu’s house, no casualties reported

A drone strike was launched towardIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house in the town of Caesarea, north of Tel Aviv, on Saturday morning, according to the Israeli prime minister’s office.

Netanyahu and his wife were not in the building, and there were no casualties.

In a post on X, Netanyahu blamed “Iran’s proxy Hezbollah” for the attack he described as an assassination attempt, saying any actors who try to harm other citizens of Israel “will pay a heavy price.” 

“The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake,” he said. “This will not deter me or the State of Israel from continuing our just war against our enemies in order to secure our future.”

The Israel Defense Forces said the drone in question crossed from Lebanon. It “hit a structure in the area of Caesarea,” the town where Netanyahu’s residence is located, about 50 miles from the northern border with Lebanon, the military said in a statement.

The IDF added that two other drones were intercepted and that the incident was under review.

In a statement issued by Iran’s United Nations mission, the country denied any involvement in the attack and suggested that it settled its latest score with Israel over its attacks on Hezbollah leaders and a senior Iranian military commander in September by launching missiles into Israel on Oct. 1.

“We have already responded to the Israeli regime, and the action in question has been carried out by Hezbollah in Lebanon,” the mission said.

Hezbollah has not directly claimed responsibility for the strike. Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political bureau, said in a phone call to Al Jazeera that Netanyahu should not feel secure.

In an earlier series of statements, Hezbollah said it had launched multiple missiles late Saturday in response to Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah locations in southern Lebanon, in defense of the Lebanese people, and “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”

The statements did not say any targeted the prime minister’s residence.

The IDF said that as of 11 p.m., Hezbollah launched an estimated 200 missiles into Israel from Lebanon on Saturday. 

Forces from Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon, have fired projectiles into northern Israel in solidarity with Hamas since shortly after its Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.

Sirens had begun to sound across Israel ahead of the attack, including in the port city of Haifa, which has come under heavy fire from Hezbollah rockets in recent weeks. NBC News staff in Israel said in the north, sirens were sounding nonstop Saturday morning for more than four hours.

The drone strike comes just days after Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Sinwar was the architect of the Oct. 7 attacks and his killing in battle was the culmination of a yearlong manhunt by the IDF.

While some, including U.S. officials, have expressed hope that Sinwar’s death could pave a path toward a cease-fire and hostage deal, Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah have vowed to continue the war.

Netanyahu said Thursday that Sinwar’s death was the “beginning of the end” for Hamas, but that the war “is not yet over.”

Following the confirmation of Sinwar’s death, Hezbollah vowed to escalate fighting against Israel.