Benjamin Netanyahu's first reaction after his assassination bid: 'Proxies of Iran made a grave mistake'
The fighting with Lebanon-based Hezbollah and Gaza-based Hamas showed no pause after the killing of the Hamas mastermind of last year's October 7 attack. Recently, Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of the raid on Israel on October 7.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose house was targeted by a drone on Saturday, said the proxies of Iran who tried to assassinate him and his wife made a grave mistake. According to the Israeli government, a drone targeted Netanyahu's house, with no casualties.
"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: 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. Together, we will fight, and with God's help – together, we will win," Netanyahu's post on X read.
Israel's military said dozens of projectiles were launched from Lebanon a day after Hezbollah announced a new phase in fighting.
Netanyahu's office said the drone targeted his house in the Mediterranean coastal town of Caesarea. Neither he nor his wife were there. It wasn't clear if the house was hit.
Hezbollah didn't claim responsibility for the drone attack, but said it carried out several rocket attacks on northern and central Israel. The barrage came as Israel is expected to respond to an attack earlier this month by Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas.
Israel retaliates in Beirut's southern suburbs
Israel in turn carried out at least 10 airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs known as Dahiyeh, a heavily populated area home to Hezbollah's offices, Lebanese authorities said. Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets.
50 people, including children, in less than 24 hours in Gaza
In Gaza, Israeli forces fired at hospitals in the Palestinian enclave's battered north, and strikes killed more than 50 people, including children, in less than 24 hours, according to hospital officials and an Associated Press reporter there.
“The possibility of war in the region remains a serious concern,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said while visiting Turkey. Group of Seven defence ministers warned against escalation and “all-out war.”
Barrages from Lebanon target northern Israel The Israel-Hezbollah war has intensified. Hezbollah said Friday it planned to send more guided missiles and exploding drones into Israel. The militant group's longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September, and Israel sent ground troops into Lebanon early this month.
Israel's military on Saturday said about 180 projectiles were fired from Lebanon. A 50-year-old man was hit by shrapnel and killed in northern Israel, and four other people were wounded, Israel's medical services said.
In the northern city of Kiryat Ata, one rocket landed. Itzik Billet, commander for the Haifa area, said nine people were slightly injured.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said an Israeli airstrike on an apartment in eastern Baaloul village killed five people, including the mayor of a nearby village, Sohmor. An Israeli military official confirmed that the IDF struck targets in the Bekaa Valley.
Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle on a highway north of Beirut, killing two people. Israel has issued near-daily warnings for people to leave buildings and villages in parts of Lebanon. The fighting has displaced more than 1 million people, including around 400,000 children.
Israel also said it killed Hezbollah's deputy commander in the southern town of Bint Jbeil. The army said Nasser Rashid supervised attacks against Israel.
Israel drops leaflets showing Sinwar's body
Israel and Hamas have signalled resistance to ending the war in Gaza after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the chief architect of the raid on Israel more than a year ago that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped another 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, at least 30 of whom Israel says are dead.
(With AP inputs)