Netanyahu's home targeted: Man killed as nearly 200 rockets, drones shower North

A man in Acre was killed when a Hezbollah rocket struck his vehicle on Saturday, according to MDA, amid a morning of intense rocket fire.

The man was later identified as Alexei Popov, age 50, from Kiryat Haim, Israeli media reported on Saturday evening. He was survived by his wife and two children, Kan stated. 

According to the IDF, there had been at least 180 projectiles fired by the Lebanon-based terror organization on Saturday as of 2:30 p.m.

Earlier, an explosion was heard in Caesarea after a drone launched from Lebanon slammed into a building in the city, the IDF said. Police arrived to locate the scene of the fall.

Two other drones launched alongside were reportedly intercepted. The incident triggered alarms in the Glilot military base, but the military later determined that drones were not in the area.

One drone launched at Caesarea targeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence., Israeli media reported, citing the Saudi TV news channel Al-Hadath. The Prime Minister's Office said that Netanyahu and his wife were not at the location. No casualties were reported as a result of the incident.

תיעוד: הכטב"ם ששוגר לעבר מעון רה"מ בקיסריהצילום: אלי לוי pic.twitter.com/F1UsoT6ASc

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 19, 2024

In response to the attempted strike, an Israeli official, cited by N12, said that "Iran tried to assassinate the prime minister of Israel."

Around the same time as the attacks on Caesarea, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, but Israeli media reported that no notification was sent to the Home Front Command app for users in the area.

Netanyahu issued a statement hours after the attempted attack on his residence, saying "Nothing will deter us, we will continue until victory."

Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims attack on North, vows escalation

Earlier that morning, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed credit after a drone launched from the east was detected crashing into the Golan Heights.

The IDF reported the crash after sirens sounded in the area and noted that the drone had crossed into Israel from Syria, and no injuries were reported as a result of the crash.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq vowed further escalation.

Additional rockets, Israelis wounded

Drone alarms were also activated in the early morning in Gan Yashia, Olesh, Ametz, Bat Hefer, Yad Hana, and Barotaim in Emek Hefer, west of Netanya.

More drone sirens sounded again around 7:00 a.m. in Kiryat Yam and numerous other localities in the Haifa area, and a half hour later, further sirens sounded in Tiberias and the city's surrounding areas.

תיעוד מקריית אתא: רכב עולה באש כתוצאה מהמטח האחרון, אדם נפצע קלצילום: לפי סעיף 27א' pic.twitter.com/IUCACgEwNd

— החדשות - N12 (@N12News) October 19, 2024

Israeli media reported that two young men were lightly and moderately wounded by shrapnel in a rocket barrage towards Haifa and the Western Galilee.

The Western Galilee also saw four casualties from Hezbollah rocket fire in an open road in Acre, including the man who was killed as well as three others wounded in light condition, according to the MDA. Paramedics at the scene evacuated them to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.

In addition, a rocket crashed in Kiryat Ata and caused damage to property and a car parked next to a residential building.

Ten people were later wounded in the city from the attacks from Lebanon, including a 28-year-old man in light-to-moderate condition, a man and woman both around 40 years old in light condition with shrapnel injuries, and a 25-year-old woman in light condition.

Among the ten, five were being treated for anxiety from the incident, the MDA stated.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.