The drone strike on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s home is an important reminder to continue praying for the protection of Israel’s leaders.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea was struck by a Hezbollah attack drone last Saturday, causing damage to the Israeli PM’s home. Mercifully, Netanyahu and his wife were not at home and there were no injuries.
However, images previously censored but now released for publication by Israel’s military, shows the damage caused by the drone’s impact.
The blast cracked glass in a bedroom window, but failed to penetrate the house due to protective reinforcement. However, pieces of glass landed in the family pool and in the garden.
“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,” a resident told Israel’s Channel 12.
“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 Israeli leader also warned, “I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil: Anyone who tries to harm Israel’s citizens will pay a heavy price.”
A senior Israeli government official similarly told the publication Ynet: “Iran tried to eliminate the prime minister of Israel — it will not escape responsibility.”
The attempted assassination is a reminder to pray for the protection of Benjamin Netanyahu and his family, and for all Israeli leaders. Security measures for Israelis ministers and other officials have reportedly been reinforced following the attempted assassination.
Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed sole responsibility for the attack, warning another strike against Netanyahu was coming, and said there would be no negotiations for a ceasefire while fighting continued with Israel.
The Iran-backed terrorist organization in Lebanon took “full, complete, and exclusive responsibility” for targeting Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea on Saturday, Hezbollah media chief Mohammed Afif told a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
“If we did not reach you this time, then we will reach you the next time. Between us lie the days, nights, and the battlefield,” the Hezbollah spokesman added.
Some have suggested that Hezbollah’s comments on Tuesday appeared to be an effort to deflect blame away from Iran and place responsibility solely with its chief proxy.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Israel said that it had killed another Hezbollah terror leader, Hashem Safieddine, who was poised to become his cousin Hassan Nasrallah’s replacement.
In a statement Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said Safieddine was killed about three weeks ago in an airstrike that hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut. At the time of the strike, more than 25 Hezbollah members were inside the underground headquarters, it said.
The commander of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters, Ali Hussein Hazima, who the IDF said was responsible for directing numerous attacks on Israeli troops, was also killed in the strike.
“We have reached Nasrallah, his replacement and most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership,” Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said, according to Reuters. “We will reach anyone who threatens the security of the civilians of the State of Israel.”
