Drone from Lebanon targets, hits Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea
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An undetected drone launched from Lebanon has crashed in a building in Caesarea where Netanyahu resides, while the media remains censored and prohibited from disclosing information regarding the impact.
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A drone from Lebanon is seen trailing an Israeli helicopter before detonating on target in Caesarea, October 19, 2024 (Social Media)
A drone has reportedly made a direct impact on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's place of residence in Caesarea, southern Haifa, Israeli media reported, noting that he and his wife "were not present at the location."
Details available revealed that the drone was able to directly hit its target, causing casualties post-detonation. Israeli occupation forces admitted that air defenses were unable to intercept the drone as it pierced through occupied territories.
Israeli media reported a major failure in an interception operation, as an infiltrating drone flew right beside the military helicopter searching for it on the outskirts of occupied Haifa.
Israeli media reported a major failure in an interception operation, as an infiltrating drone flew right beside the military helicopter searching for it on the outskirts of occupied #Haifa. pic.twitter.com/jSNeWHAe8g
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 19, 2024
Three drones made their way from Lebanon to Haifa, with only two being detected and intercepted, according to the Israeli military. The third one, however, struck a building in Caesarea accurately, which was later confirmed to be Netanyahu's residence. Eyewitnesses confirmed that the explosion was huge.
The drone flew about 70 kilometers from Lebanon and directly hit a building in Caesarea, with shrapnel reaching a neighboring building, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
Sirens sounded in military bases in the Glilot settlement in northern Tel Aviv after the drone entered occupied airspace. However, for the first time ever, sirens went off in Tel Aviv without being activated on the internal front's mobile application. Thus, settlers were not notified of any evacuation orders.
The Israeli occupation army also noted that the drone kept hovering overhead for an hour before striking the building, describing the event as "a tough morning."
Israeli media awestruck
Israeli military commentators and media outlets began criticizing the air defense system that failed to intercept Hezbollah's drones and prevent them from reaching their target.
Israeli media reported that the Israeli occupation army opened an investigation into the failure of the air defense system to intercept the drone that targeted Netanyahu's residence, as well as the failure to activate the sirens.
Commenting on the incident, Itay Blumental, a military affairs correspondent for the Israeli Kan Channel, said that "Hezbollah is developing its method of launching several drones together to make it difficult for the defense systems to intercept them."
The correspondent explained that "the drone was able to cross a distance of 70 km from Lebanon and hit a building in Caesarea” where Netanyahu sometimes stays, which “is worrying because this drone traveled a relatively long distance and hit the building directly.”
Israeli Army Radio quoted a military source as saying that the security services are "investigating the security gaps that allowed a drone to reach Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea," an incident seen as "a very flagrant security failure."
The state of alert was raised "for all symbols of authority in Israel after Netanyahu's residence was targeted by a drone from Lebanon," as confirmed by the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.
Meanwhile, Maariv lamented this being the third incident in about a week in which a drone coming from Lebanon was able to reach deep inside "Israel".
Commenting on the targeting of Netanyahu's residence, Kan reported that Hezbollah is developing its method of launching several drones together to make it difficult for air defense systems to intercept them.
Hezbollah has taken its operations to a higher level, Kan added, calling what happened "a very dramatic incident."
Breaking | According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu's office refuses to disclose his whereabouts following Lebanese drones striking areas in Caesarea. pic.twitter.com/U2H7E75itW
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) October 19, 2024
Israeli police consequently rushed to block roads in the area and have been preventing media news outlets from approaching the site of impact.
In central occupied Palestine, GPS systems were also disrupted.
Over a million settlers scurried to shelters over the past hour, as sirens blared in northern settlements, all the way to Hod HaSharon.
إعلام العدو: مصابون في انفجار طائرة مسيرة بمبنى في مدينة قيسارية بالقرب من منزل نتنياهو pic.twitter.com/UQZ6IBBnBm
— Faten (@ftn001) October 19, 2024
So far, Netanyahu's office is refusing to disclose the location of the prime minister at the time of the explosion of the drone in Caesarea, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.
The Israeli newspaper said it is still unclear whether Netanyahu was in his private residence in Caesarea this morning during the drone explosion, and his office is refraining from commenting on his whereabouts.
This comes as the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon - Hezbollah vowed to escalate its operations in response to the brutal Israeli assault on Lebanon and the genocide in Gaza.
Hezbollah has been relentlessly carrying out critical operations across the northern front, which range from confronting Israeli occupation soldiers trying to infiltrate the Lebanese South, destroying their Merkavas, and striking military bases across the occupied north and deep into occupied territories.
A recent statement released by Hezbollah's Operations Room announced the transition to a new, escalatory phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, the details of which will unfold in the coming days.
