A drone, launched from Lebanon, exploded near Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea in southern Haifa on Saturday, Reuters reported. The Prime Minister’s spokesperson said Netanyahu and his wife were not present at the time of the attack, which comes two days after Israel bumped off Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar in Gaza.
Two other drones fired from Lebanon were downed by air defences, triggering sirens in the Tel Aviv area. The third one, however, struck a building in Caesarea, causing a loud explosion.
Saudi outlet Al-Hadath claimed a part of the building was damaged in the drone attack. However, no causalities were reported.
The drone flew about 70 kilometres from Lebanon before hitting the building in Caesarea, Israeli media reported.
The attack comes days after Yahya Sinwar, the architect of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war, was killed by Israeli forces following a year-long manhunt.
Israel also shared a video of Sinwar’s last moments in which the heavily injured Hamas chief is seen flinging a stick towards an Israeli drone before being killed.
Hamas, however, has vowed to keep fighting, in the face of international calls for an immediate ceasefire. Khalil al-Hayya, Sinwar’s deputy, said Hamas would emerge stronger than ever despite the death of its leader, even as Netanyahu called it an “important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas”.
Hamas, which is backed by Iran, also found support from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei said Sinwar’s death would not stop the “Axis of Resistance”, which refers to Iran-backed militias in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Gaza.
“His (Sinwar) loss is undoubtedly painful for the Axis of Resistance, but this front did not stop advancing with the martyrdom of prominent figures… Hamas is alive and will remain alive,” Khamenei stated.
The death of Sinwar and the subsequent drone attack near Netanyahu’s home has raised concerns of a quick escalation of an all-out war between Israel and Iran-backed proxies in the Middle East.