On Saturday, October 19, a drone was launched towards the private residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea, Israel, as confirmed by his office.
Fortunately, both the Prime Minister and his wife were not present at the time of the incident, and no injuries were reported.
The Israeli military revealed that three drones were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory earlier that morning, with one striking a building in Caesarea.
It remains unclear whether the targeted building was part of Netanyahu’s residence or if it suffered any significant damage. The other two drones were intercepted by Israeli defense forces.
In a statement released at 08:19 local time (06:19 BST), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) noted, “In the last hour, three unmanned aerial vehicles crossed into the country from Lebanon. Two of the aircraft were intercepted. Another aircraft hit a building in Caesarea; no injuries reported.”
This incident forms part of a larger tapestry of escalating hostilities between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF reported that over 55 rockets were launched from Lebanon into Israel on the same day. In response, Israel continues to orchestrate strikes on targets in Lebanon, particularly those linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
The drone attack follows reports from Lebanon’s health ministry confirming two fatalities after an Israeli strike hit a vehicle on a highway in Jounieh, a Christian-majority town north of Beirut. This strike marks an unusual development, as most Israeli operations have historically focused on Hezbollah-dominated Shia Muslim-majority areas.
Though the drone attack has not been claimed by Hezbollah or any other militant group, tensions remain high as Israel continues to delve into retaliatory actions against Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon amid the ongoing labyrinth of exchanges since October.
Netanyahu frequently utilises his Caesarea residence, alongside his home in Jerusalem and the official Prime Minister’s residence, Beit Aghion, which is currently under renovation.
