Arrest of 'Three Suspects' in Flare Incident at Benjamin Netanyahu's Home

Israeli security agencies reported that two flares landed at the home of Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, in the city of Qisaria, calling it a 'dangerous escalation'; also, a rocket strike on a synagogue in Haifa left two injured. On Saturday evening, November 18, the police and the Israeli internal security agency (Shin Bet) announced in a joint statement that the two flares had landed in the yard of the Prime Minister's residence and outside the building. According to this report, Benjamin Netanyahu and his family were not present at the time of the incident. Following the announcement, the Israeli police stated on Sunday that 'three suspects were arrested last night due to their involvement in the incident that occurred on Saturday evening.' The statement also added that the suspects would be jointly interrogated with the internal security agency. It was also mentioned that the court had banned the publication of any details related to the investigations or the identities of the suspects for 30 days. Amir Ohana, the Speaker of the Knesset, accused anti-government protesters of being involved in this incident. He stated, 'This warning has been written on the walls, streets, provocative messages, and protests for a long time.' He referred to the regular anti-government protests that began in early 2023. Benny Gantz, a former Minister of Defense and an opposition figure, also wrote on X: 'If these accusations are true and activists are behind the flares thrown at the Prime Minister's residence, it must be stated clearly: this is not protest, this is terrorism.' In the nine months leading up to the attack by the extremist group Hamas on October 7 of last year, Israel witnessed widespread protests against controversial judicial changes proposed by Netanyahu's government, which opponents viewed as a threat to Israeli democracy. Although these reforms were halted with the onset of war, protests against Netanyahu and his government have continued, alongside demonstrations aimed at reaching an agreement for the release of hostages in Gaza. Netanyahu stated: 'Another attack on Israel will cripple the Iranian economy.' Netanyahu's home in the coastal city of Qisaria was also targeted in a drone attack on October 20, and Israeli officials spoke of Iran's attempt to assassinate the Prime Minister, referring to a 'new attack on Iran in retaliation for this action.' After that, Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, announced with delay that it was responsible for the drone attack. The throwing of two flares at Benjamin Netanyahu's home in Qisaria has drawn widespread condemnation from Israeli officials. Among them, Isaac Herzog, the President of Israel, called the incident 'very serious and dangerous' and condemned it strongly. He emphasized that 'these flames must not be allowed to escalate' and warned again about the increase of violence in the public sphere on the social media platform X. According to him, the head of Shin Bet announced the initiation of investigations regarding this matter, calling the action a 'dangerous escalation.' The coastal city of Qisaria is located about 20 kilometers south of Haifa; in recent months, Hezbollah has repeatedly launched rockets and drones toward Haifa. Hours before the attack on Benjamin Netanyahu's residence in Qisaria, Israeli media reported a rocket strike on a synagogue in Haifa, in northern Israel, injuring two people. The Israeli army described this attack as 'a clear example of the deliberate targeting of Israeli civilians by Hezbollah.' According to Israeli media reports, this rocket attack occurred on Saturday evening, severely damaging one of the synagogue's buildings. The Israeli army announced that on Saturday, approximately 80 projectiles were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks on northern Israel, asserting that it targeted Israeli military bases, including a naval base in the Haifa area. Since the onset of the Gaza war, clashes between Israel and Hezbollah have primarily occurred in the border areas of the two countries, but Israel announced on September 24 of this year that it had conducted ground operations in southern Lebanon and intensified its attacks targeting Hezbollah positions.