Three suspects were arrested on Saturday night in connection with the launching of two flares at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in Caesarea earlier in the evening, the Israel Police said.
Netanyahu and his family were not home at the time of the incident, which the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and police described as ” serious” and a “dangerous escalation.”
According to Channel 12 News, the suspects are anti-government protesters, one of whom is a senior officer in the Israel Defense Forces reserves.
Video of the incident posted to social media by Kan News appears to show the two flares were launched into the sky and not directly at the Netanyahu residence. Eyewitnesses confirmed that this was the case. Channel 12 reported that the flares fell in the yard of the house.
The incident took place during an anti-Netanyahu demonstration outside of his residence.
The suspects are being represented by attorney Gonen Ben Yitzhak.
“The detainees are pillars of the Caesarea protest. If we thought the day would come when protest activists would be arrested, that day has arrived. Not only are they detained, but they are in Shin Bet facilities under interrogation,” said Yitzhak.
The court has issued a 30-day gag order on the publication of details of the investigation or the identities of the suspects.
Saturday’s incident drew immediate and strong condemnation from across Israel’s political spectrum.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid tweeted: “I strongly condemn the firing of flares at the prime minister’s residence. I expect the police to find those responsible and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
National Unity chairman Benny Gantz tweeted: “The firing of flares at the prime minister’s residence is a serious matter, and I condemn it in the strongest terms. I am confident that the Shin Bet and Israeli Police will apprehend those responsible and urge them to bring them to justice.”
Yisrael Beiteinu chief Avigdor Liberman tweeted: “The incident at the prime minister’s residence is severe and marks an escalation in attempts to harm the democratic institutions of the State of Israel,” adding that “full support must be given to the Shin Bet and Israel Police in their investigation, and those involved must be brought to justice.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the incident “extremely serious and dangerous,” saying that he had spoken with the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, “and emphasized the urgent need to investigate and address those responsible for the incident as quickly as possible.”
Bar had stressed that the incident constituted “a dangerous escalation and noted that the Shin Bet and police investigation is being conducted with the utmost seriousness,” tweeted Herzog.
“We must not allow these flames to escalate. I reiterate my warning against an escalation of violence in the public sphere. This is a matter of utmost importance,” he added.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the incident a “red line” that “crosses all boundaries,” warning that the next time it could be “live fire.” He called for the incitement against Netanyahu to stop.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted that “violence erodes the foundations of Israeli democracy. Stop. Law enforcement and security agencies must wake up and act before it is too late.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin condemned the incident as a “link in a chain of violent and anarchic actions, the purpose of which is to bring about the assassination of the prime minister and the overthrow of the elected government by means of a violent coup.”
Levin called for the coalition to resume its judicial reform push, drawing a rebuke from leading opposition figures, with Gantz warning that the last time the reforms were attempted it “brought disaster to the State of Israel.”
Gantz tweeted that the attempted “coup d’état led by Yariv Levin brought disaster to the State of Israel, tore us apart from the inside and was a large part of how we reached October 7,” referring to the judicial reform push, which was spearheaded by Levin. He called on Netanyahu and the coalition to dismiss attempts to revive the legislative effort.
Levin said “It is time to support the actions I led that were halted. It is time for full backing to restore the judiciary and law enforcement systems, and to put an end to the anarchy, lawlessness, and attempts to harm the prime minister.”
Netanyahu’s residence was targeted by a Hezbollah drone last month. The prime minister and his family were not at home at the time, and no injuries were reported, though the building suffered damage.
