Drone attack: Hezbollah targets residence of Israeli PM, Netanyahu

Israel’s government said a drone was launched by Hezbollah militant group towards the prime minister’s home, Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday, with no casualties recorded.

“A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched toward the prime minister’s residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said.

The short statement from Netanyahu’s office came after the IDF said that “a building had been hit” in the upscale town famous for its swanky villas and Roman ruins and amphitheater.

The IDF said the drone was one of three fired from Lebanon, the other two were shot down, the Times of Israel reported.

The military said it was investigating the incident that apparently saw several failures of Israel’s warning system.

No warning sirens were sounded in Caesarea ahead of the drone impact and explosion. Footage posted to social media appeared to show attack helicopters in the air that were apparently hunting the drone further to the north.

According to the Jewish paper, sirens did sound in Glilot north of Tel Aviv, which houses a major IDF intelligence base and the Mossad headquarters. Those sirens were not accompanied by warnings on the Home Front Command’s app or other platforms.

The drones and the interceptions also triggered warning sirens down Israel’s coast in the minutes ahead of the impact.

“We heard helicopters above us and there was a feeling that there was some sort of incident but there were no sirens so we were not too worried,” one Caesarea resident told Channel 12. “But then suddenly a large explosion was heard and it was not clear to us if it was from an interception or a drone impact — but it was clear that it was a real incident with no prior warning.”

“It was very worrying, luckily there are no casualties,” he said.

Ofek Mor, another resident, told Ynet of hearing the drone overhead.

“Suddenly we heard a buzzing sound, it was not clear what was happening, then there was a huge explosion, very strong,” he said. “It is walking distance from my house, we got here and very quickly we understood what had happened.”

Meanwhile, the IDF on Thursday, announced the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi highlighted the long series of operations that culminated in Sinwar’s death.

“We have settled the score with Sinwar, who was responsible for the severe attack we experienced a year ago,” he said.

Halevi explained that the final operation was not based on prior intelligence but was part of an ongoing military effort to track Hamas members across Gaza, particularly in Rafah.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant described Sinwar’s final moments as those of a fugitive.

“He ended his life in defeat, running and concerned only for his own survival,” Gallant said. He urged the people of Gaza to take this opportunity to release hostages and surrender.

Sinwar’s body was identified after part of a severed finger was rushed to Israel for verification. His death was confirmed by Division 162, which includes units such as the 828 Bislach Brigade and Battalion 195.

The terror leader was accused of masterminding the October 7 attack, which resulted in over 1,200 deaths and more than 250 hostages taken, with 48 confirmed killed in captivity.

Known for hiding in tunnels and relying on messengers to avoid detection, Sinwar’s movements had previously complicated efforts to capture him.

Despite conflicting reports of his whereabouts, Israel’s military had tracked him within the tunnel network earlier this year.

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