Netanyahu vows 'heavy price' for Hezbollah drone attack on his residence

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran-backed Hezbollah of trying to assassinate him.

Netanyahu's office said a drone was launched toward his residence in the central town of Caesarea but he and his wife were not home at the time and there were no injuries.

"The attempt by Iran's proxy Hezbollah to assassinate me and my wife today was a grave mistake," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"Anyone who tries to harm Israel's citizens will pay a heavy price," he said in comments directed at Tehran and "its proxies", which include Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The militant group did not acknowledge the attack but late Saturday Iran's United Nations mission said "this action was taken" by Hezbollah.

Initially an overspill from the Gaza conflict, months of trading fire across the joint border between Israel and Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based, escalated into a full conflict in late September.