A drone targeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea on Saturday, the Israeli government confirmed, though no casualties were reported. Neither Netanyahu nor his wife was home during the incident, according to his spokesperson. This latest escalation comes as Israel’s conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah intensifies, with fresh violence from Lebanon and Gaza.
Earlier in the day, air-raid sirens sounded across northern Israel, warning of incoming fire from Lebanon. Along with the drone attack, Israel’s military reported 55 projectiles were fired into northern Israel in two separate barrages. Some were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, and there were no immediate casualties.
In a parallel threat last month, Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile targeting Ben Gurion Airport while Netanyahu’s plane was landing. Israeli defenses successfully intercepted the missile, averting disaster.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to pound Gaza with airstrikes, killing more than 50 people, including children, within the last 24 hours, according to local health officials. Hospital staff reported the upper floors of the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya were hit, sparking chaos among patients and medical staff. At Al-Awda Hospital in Jabaliya, another strike caused injuries to several medical workers.
In central Gaza, multiple airstrikes killed civilians, including two children, when a home was struck in Zawayda. Another strike in the Maghazi refugee camp wiped out 11 members of the same family, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Hezbollah Escalates as War Deepens
In Lebanon, Hezbollah ramped up its offensive, firing drones and missiles toward northern Israel. Following the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah in a recent Israeli airstrike, Hezbollah vowed to escalate its operations. On Saturday, the Israeli military reported the killing of Nasser Rashid, Hezbollah’s deputy commander, in the town of Bint Jbeil.
Lebanon’s health ministry said an Israeli airstrike struck a vehicle on a highway north of Beirut, killing two people. The identities of those in the vehicle remain unclear.
Iran backs Hamas as Hostage Crisis Continues
Amid the escalating violence, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pledged continued support for Hamas following the killing of its leader, Yahya Sinwar. “Hamas is alive and will stay alive,” Khamenei said on Friday, reaffirming Tehran’s backing for the group despite Israel’s military offensive.
Sinwar, the architect of Hamas’ deadly October 7, 2023 raid that killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted 250 others, was killed this week in what Israeli forces described as a chance encounter on the battlefield. However, Hamas vowed to continue holding its hostages until Israel agrees to a cease-fire and withdraws its forces from Gaza.
Despite Sinwar’s death, Netanyahu signaled no intention of ending the war. “Our war has not yet ended”, he declared in a televised address Thursday night. Families of the remaining hostages, however, are urging the Israeli government to seize the moment for negotiations to secure the return of their loved ones.