Hezbollah claims drone attack on Netanyahu's house, says fighters captured by Israel
Hezbollah’s chief spokesman said Tuesday the group was behind the weekend drone attack that targeted Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house without inflicting casualties.
Mohammed Afif told reporters in Beirut Tuesday that if in the previous attack Netanyahu was not hurt, “the coming days and nights and the (battle) fields are between us.” Afif was hinting that Hezbollah might carry out such attempts in the future.
Afif said Hezbollah is fully responsible for the drone attack that targeted Netanyahu's house. He added that the group did it on its own.
Netanyahu’s office said the drone on Saturday targeted his house in the Mediterranean coastal town of Caesarea. Neither he nor his wife was there. It wasn’t clear if the house was hit.
An Israeli strike hit Beirut's southern suburbs just minutes after Afif cut short the news conference in the area.
Journalists hastily left the press conference after the Israeli military warned people near two buildings in the Ghobeiri area to evacuate. Israeli aircraft then carried out a strike in the area, leveling a building.
Afif acknowledged that some of Hezbollah's fighters were captured by the Israeli army without giving numbers, adding that Israel "bears responsibility" for their lives.
"On the issue of captives currently held by the enemy, I say: I know that the enemy is not committed to the ethics of war and international conventions but it bears the responsibility of preserving the lives of the captives," Afif told reporters, calling on the the International Committee of the Red Cross to ascertain their safety.
He also said that Hezbollah micro-financing firm Al-Qard al-Hassan took all necessary precautions ahead of Israeli strikes last week, vowing to "fulfil its obligations" towards depositors.
The firm "had anticipated such... an aggression and has taken all precautions and will do everything that is necessary to fulfil its obligations towards depositors," Afif told reporters.
