Netanyahu: Hezbollah made “grave mistake” in attacking his home

Israeli security forces at the scene where a drone fired from Lebanon caused damage in Caesarea, Oct. 19, 2024. Photo by Flash90.

(JNS) — A Hezbollah drone attack on his and his wife Sara Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea won’t budge the Jewish state from its mission, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on the night of Oct. 19. That morning, Hezbollah launched an unmanned aerial vehicle at Netanyahu’s private residence.

“The attempt by Iran’s proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake. 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 prime minister stated.

“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,” Netanyahu added. “We will continue to eliminate the terrorists and those who dispatch them. We will bring our hostages home from Gaza. And we will return our citizens who live on our northern border safely to their homes.”

It was not clear if the drone actually hit the house. The prime minister and his wife weren’t there at the time, per the Associated Press.

A local resident told news outlet Ynet that “It was 7:50 [a.m.] and we heard a humming sound. A few seconds later an explosion and a hit were heard. In the beginning we thought it was a terror attack because the explosion was very loud, [at decibels] we are not used to. Then rumors started that an UAV hit a building. We thought it was maybe an Iranian attack.”

Residents in the seaside town south of Haifa said that in the early morning hours, a short convoy was observed leaving the premier’s residence, according to Ynet.

The premier’s office said that Netanyahu has not spent a night at his Caesarea home for at least a week.

The Israel Defense Forces said that Hezbollah had launched three drones from Lebanon, two of which were intercepted.

No warning sirens were sounded prior to the drone impact. The military stated it was investigating the event.

The day before, Israeli naval forces reported a possible UAV sighting off the Mediterranean coast, hovering over Caesarea.

Security sources raised concerns that it could have been a Hezbollah reconnaissance drone, but the Prime Minister’s Office claimed in a brief statement that it was a false alert.

According to Hebrew media, Israeli Air Force fighter jets rushed to the scene and did not detect any suspicious aircraft.

The Hezbollah-affiliated Nour News media outlet reported on Oct. 18 that the Lebanese Shi’ite militant group “will soon step up its conflict [with Israel] to a new and advanced stage.”

According to military estimates, the drone that hit Caesarea was of the Sayyad-107 type, an Iranian model now manufactured in Lebanon.

This is the same UAV that hit an IDF training base near Binyamina last week, killing four soldiers and injuring dozens more.

Following that incident, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant pledged to find solutions to the threat posed by the terror group’s unmanned vehicles.

“Faced with the threat of UAVs, we are [conducting] a national effort and are engaged in developing solutions that will help deal with the threat,” he said.

U.S. reactions

Lloyd Austin, the U.S. defense secretary, told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday that “he was relieved Prime Minister Netanyahu was safe after the attack that reportedly targeted his home in Caesarea this morning,” according to Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote that he spoke with his “friend” Netanyahu on Saturday, “and I am happy to report he is safe, in good spirits and undeterred.”

“I told him America stands strong with Israel and reiterated our ongoing commitment to help counter Iran and its terrorist proxies,” the House speaker added. “This is a crucial moment and America must deliver. It is vital that the Biden-Harris administration stop slow-walking needed weapons to Israel and implement the sanctions on Iran that Congress enacted this spring.”

“Glad to hear this,” wrote Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), sharing Johnson’s message. “Keeping Benjamin Netanyahu in my prayers.”

“In light of this attempt on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s life, there should be no red lines on Israel’s response against the real perpetrator: Iran,” stated John Bolton, a former U.S. national security advisor and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.