Strike on Netanyahu home ‘a signal’ Iran proxies not incapacitated, expert says

A recent drone strike targeting the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is sending “a signal” that Iran-backed militant groups are not “incapacitated,” despite losing senior leadership in recent weeks, according to a Middle East expert.

Daniel Levy, the president of the U.S./Middle East Project, in an interview with NewsNation Saturday, said he did not think the intention “necessarily was an extrajudicial killing of Netanyahu,” but the drone launch was a warning that Iran’s proxies — including Hamas and Hezbollah — are still formidable. 

“It sends an important signal, doesn’t it,” Levy told “Morning in America” host Hena Doba on Saturday morning.

“It sends a signal that any talk that Hezbollah, as this came from Lebanon, has been incapacitated, they are done for. That’s clearly, not only premature, but basically a misreading of that reality,” he added. “I think any talk that Hamas are finished is equally misguided. It doesn’t understand what is the nature of a resistance movement rooted in the objective conditions of a people living without freedom.” 

His comments come after a drone was launched from Lebanon toward Netanyahu’s home in Caesarea early Saturday. Neither the Israeli leader nor his wife were at home at the time and no injuries were reported, the prime minister’s office said.

The attack came just days after the Israeli military killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel — which killed around 1,200 people while some 250 hostages were taken — that sparked the ongoing war in the region.

The targeting of Netanyahu’s residence also came less than a week after a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli military base killed four soldiers. That attack came after an Israeli strike on Beirut killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah late last month — the militant group and Iran have vowed retaliation.

The Middle East expert said the latest attack showcased that the missile defense system cannot offer “full protection” and that “you cannot have 100 percent security.” 

“No one can, and unless you have a political solution, you’re not going to see an end to this, and that’s what Netanyahu has avoided and prevented all these years,” Levy, a former Israeli negotiator, said Saturday.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.