Drone ‘launched towards’ Israeli PM Netanyahu’s home

A drone has been “launched towards” the private residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coastal town of Caesarea, his office has said.

“The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident,” a statement said.

It comes after the Israeli military said three drones were launched from Lebanon into Israel early on Saturday morning, with one hitting a building in Caesarea.

The Israeli government has not said whether the building was part of the Prime Minister’s residence nor the extent of any damage.

At 08:19 local time (06:19 BST), the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said: “In the last hour, three unmanned aerial vehicles crossed into the country from Lebanon.

“Two of the aircraft were intercepted. Another aircraft hit a building in Caesarea, no injuries.”

Netanyahu owns two private homes, in Caesarea and Jerusalem, and also spends time at Beit Aghion, the prime minister’s official residence in Jerusalem, which is currently being renovated.

The IDF said some 55 rockets had been launched into Israel from Lebanon so far on Saturday.

Israel is continuing to attack targets in Lebanon which it says are linked to the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.

Lebanon’s health ministry said on Saturday that two people were killed in an Israeli strike in Jounieh, a Christian-majority town to the north of Beirut.

This attack is unusual as most Israeli operations to date have focused on Shia Muslim-majority areas where Hezbollah has a presence.