Netanyahu residence targeted as Hezbollah fires projectiles at Israel

Israeli Premier and wife not at residence during drone attack; no injuries reported

Israel said a drone targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence on Oct 19, as Hezbollah launched a barrage of projectiles into Israel from its northern neighbour Lebanon.

On its southern front, Israel hammered Gaza with air strikes, with an overnight raid on Jabalia in the north killing 33 people, according to Gaza's civil defence agency.

Mr Netanyahu's office said the Israeli Premier and his wife were not at their residence in the central town of Caesarea during the drone attack and there were no injuries.

Earlier, the military said a drone fired from Lebanon had "hit a structure" in Caesarea.

Sirens blared across Israel throughout the morning as Hezbollah fired projectiles from various locations in Lebanon.

The Iran-backed group said it fired a large salvo of advanced rockets at a military base in Israel's Haifa region.

A man in the northern Israeli port city of Acre died after being struck by shrapnel, the Magen David Adom emergency service said, while shrapnel also wounded five people in the Haifa city of Kiryat Ata.

In late September, Israel ramped up air strikes on Lebanon and deployed ground forces after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges.

The fighting in Gaza came after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on Oct 16.

Sinwar, accused of masterminding the attack on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, was seen as pivotal to ending the Gaza war and securing the release of Israeli hostages.

On Oct 18, Qatar-based Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya reiterated no hostages would be freed "unless the aggression against our people in Gaza stops".