Netanyahu residence focused by drone, says Israel after terror boss killed

Benjamin Netanyahu‘s home has been targeted by a drone, Israel have said just hours after Iran‘s Supreme Leader roared that ‘Hamas is alive and will stay alive’.

The government have confirmed there were no injuries and neither the Prime Minister nor his wife were home at their holiday house in Caesarea.  

The Israeli military had earlier said that a drone launched from Lebanon had smashed into a building, but it was not immediately clear what property this was. Police said explosions could be heard in the coastal town.

And a winged machine could be seen whistling over houses in the region as onlookers watched on in terror.

Netanyahu defiantly said today that the attempted plot would not deter him – and that Israel would ‘win this war’.

The drone attack was not immediately claimed by Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with Israel since last October, or any other militant group. 

It comes days after Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by a single gunshot to his head.

The architect of the October 7 massacre and Israel’s most wanted man, he was killed on Wednesday after being hunted by intelligence services and the Israeli Defence Forces for over a year. 

The 61-year-old – dubbed the Butcher of Khan Younis – was finally taken out apparently by chance after an hour-long firefight of trainee soldiers on a routine operation in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip. 

The strike has seen a shockwave rip across the region – with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declaring: ‘Hamas is alive and will remain alive.’ 

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei roared that it will not halt the ‘Axis of Resistance’ and that Hamas would live on. 

‘His loss is undoubtedly painful for the Axis of Resistance, but this front did not cease advancing with the martyrdom of prominent figures,’ Khamenei said in a statement. ‘Hamas is alive and will remain alive.’

‘He was a shining face of resistance and struggle. With a steely resolve, he stood against the oppressive and aggressive enemy. With wisdom and courage, he dealt them the irreparable blow of October 7 that has been recorded in the history of this region. Then, with honor and pride, he ascended to the heavens of the martyrs.’

The ‘Axis of Resistance’, built up with years of Iranian support, includes Hamas, the Lebanese Hezbollah group, the Houthi movement in Yemen, and various Shi’ite groups in Iraq and Syria.

The groups describe themselves as the resistance to Israel and U.S. influence in the Middle East.

‘As always, we will remain by the side of the sincere fighters and combatants, by God’s grace and help,’ Khamenei continued.

Last night the Prime Minister called on the international community to ‘make to most of this moment’ to push for peace after Hamas’ leader was killed in a gunfight.

Sir Keir Starmer, after joining US, French and German leaders on Friday, said the killing of Yahya Sinwar offered an ‘opportunity’ to step up ceasefire talks that have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.

Revealing Sinwar’s death, Netanyahu called it an ‘important moment’ in the war.

He said: ‘The perpetrator of the most terrible massacre of our people in the history of our people since the Holocaust, the mass murderer who murdered thousands of Israelis and kidnapped hundreds of our citizens was eliminated today by our heroic soldiers.

‘And today, as we promised to do, we have settled the score with him.’ 

Speaking at a press conference after discussions as part of the so-called ‘Quad’ of nations, Sir Keir said the ‘answer is diplomacy’ in resolving the long-running war in Gaza and violence in the wider region. 

He said: ‘No one should mourn the death of Hamas leader Sinwar.

‘On his hands is the blood of innocent Israelis killed on October 7 and over the years of terror, and also the blood of Palestinian people who suffered in the chaos and violence that he sought and celebrated.

‘Allies will keep working together to de-escalate across the region because we know there is no military-only solution.

‘The answer is diplomacy and now we must make the most of this moment.

‘What is needed now is a ceasefire, immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate access to humanitarian aid and a return to the path towards the two-state solution, as the only way to deliver long-term peace and security.’

During the fierce battle, two militants fled to one building while Sinwar – whose identity was not known by the Israelis until much later – escaped to another.

In a graphic display of the intensity of the encounter, the Hamas leader was found with electric cable tied in a makeshift tourniquet around his arm, which was wounded by shrapnel from a small missile or tank shell.

But Dr. Chen Kugel, who oversaw his autopsy, told The New York Times: ‘It wouldn’t have worked in any case. It wasn’t strong enough and his forearm was smashed.’

The terrorist chief was later shot in the head, the director of Israel’s national forensic institute revealed. 

It is not known who fired the bullet or what kind of weapon was used to deliver the fatal blow.

After the dust had cleared, Israeli soldiers realised the body found in the rubble of the now-blown apart building bore a striking resemlance to Sinwar.

They cut off one of his fingers to confirm his identity.

Sinwar was imprisoned in Israel for 22 years, meaning they had his genetic information on file. 

According to the Israeli military, he had been forced out of the underground lair where he was cowering ás they covertly closed off streets and blew up tunnels in the area.

Dr Kugel said he was pale, explained by the amount of time he spent in Hamas’ subterranean network, and weighed over 150 pounds – showing no signs of malnutrition.

Continuing, the Israeli medic said: ‘It was only when I stepped outside that I internalized that this was the man responsible for more murder than anyone in the history of the country.’

The body is now held by the country’s military – alongside hundreds of corpses of dead Palestinians, to be used for a future trade with Hamas.