Netanyahu's residence targeted as tensions rise with Hezbollah, Hamas

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson confirmed that the prime minister was not in the vicinity during the incident, and there were no casualties

A drone was launched towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in the coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday (October 19), just hours after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed. The drone attack adds to the growing tension in the region as Israel grapples with conflicts on multiple fronts.

Netanyahu's spokesperson confirmed that the prime minister was not in the vicinity during the incident, and there were no casualties. "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," the  Israeli prime minister's office stated.

Earlier, the Israeli military reported that the drone had been launched from Lebanon and had struck a building. Two additional drones entering Israeli airspace were intercepted, reported news agency Reuters.

Despite the attack, no militant group, including Hezbollah, which has been engaged in cross-border fire with Israel since last October, claimed responsibility.

Israel's offensive on Hezbollah continues

As tensions rise, Israel is also engaged in hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon, an ally of Hamas. The ongoing exchange of rocket fire has escalated since the October 7 attacks, leading to Israeli ground troop deployments across the Lebanese border last month.

This latest drone attack followed Israel's announcement of an airstrike that destroyed Hezbollah’s regional command centre. According to Lebanese health authorities, the conflict has resulted in at least 1,418 deaths in Lebanon since late September, with the actual death toll potentially higher.

In a separate incident, Lebanese officials reported that two people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday in Jounieh, a city north of Beirut. The strike, described as an "Israeli enemy raid" by the Lebanese health ministry, targeted a car on a major highway linking Beirut to the northern regions. This marked the first strike on Jounieh since the start of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel last year.

The tripartite conflict in the Middle East is expected to escalate further after the death of Sinwar, the mastermind behind the October 7 attacks that killed over 1,200 Israelis and led to the abduction of more than 250 hostages into Gaza. Sinwar assumed leadership of Hamas following the assassination of its previous leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iran.