Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Hezbollah that its alleged attempt to assassinate him and his wife was a “grave mistake” and anybody who tries to harm Israel’s citizens would pay a heavy price.
Mr Netanyahu’s warning was seen as a response to a drone being launched towards his residence in the Israeli town of Caesarea.
In a post on X on Saturday, Mr Netanyahu referred to Hezbollah as “Iran’s proxy” and said the assassination attempt would not deter him or Israel from continuing the war against the country’s enemies.
“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,” Mr Netanyahu wrote.
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.
I say to Iran and its proxies in its axis of evil:…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) October 19, 2024
Issuing a warning to Iran and the ‘Axis of Resistance’, which includes Hezbollah, Hamas and Yemen’s Houthis, the prime minister said Israel is determined to achieve its war objectives and “change the security reality in our region for generations”.
“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; 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. Israel is determined to achieve all our war objectives and change the security reality in our region for generations to come,” he warned.
A drone was launched at Mr Netanyahu’s residence on Saturday, a day after Hamas confirmed that its chief Yahya Sinwar was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza.
“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,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
The Israeli military said three drones had been fired from Lebanon on Saturday and two had been intercepted.
Neither Hezbollah nor any other militant group has claimed responsibility for the drone attack so far.
Sinwar was allegedly the architect of the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 250 taken hostage. Sinwar, who was killed on Wednesday, took over as the chief of Hamas after his predecessor Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran’s capital, Tehran.