Report: PM’s office seeks NIS 2 million security boost at Ceasarea home after attack
Request to state treasury follows Hezbollah drone strike, cast as assassination attempt on Netanyahu, with costs reportedly set to reach NIS 3-8 million
The Prime Minister’s Office has requested NIS 2 million ($530,000) from the state treasury to undertake security upgrades at Benjamin Netanyahu’s private Caesarea home, after it was hit by a Hezbollah drone last weekend, in what Israel has called an assassination attempt, according to a report Sunday.
Channel 12 news reported the request was made by the security department of the PMO.
General repairs on the home will be made through a compensation claim through the Property Tax division of the Finance Ministry, the report said.
Separately, the Ynet news site reported the total price tag for such upgrades is expected to reach between NIS 3 to 8 million ($790,000-$2.1 million).
Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, were not in Caesarea during the attack and there were no reports of injuries.
Hours after the October 19 drone attack, Netanyahu said in a statement: “The agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake.” He said the attack would not deter him from continuing the war, and that anyone who harmed Israelis would pay “a heavy price.”
Days after the attack, the IDF cleared for publication the fact that the blast cracked glass in a bedroom window, but did not penetrate the home, apparently because of reinforced glass and other protections.
Three drones were launched from Lebanon in the attack targeting the prime minister’s private residence. Two were intercepted over Rosh Hanikra and Nahariya, respectively, and the third exploded in the central seaside town of Caesarea, known for its high-end villas and Roman ruins.
Expenses incurred from maintenance work to the prime minister’s private residence are covered by the state treasury if the renovations are found to be necessary to the prime minister’s ability to adequately carry out his (or her) work. If this is not the case, then the renovations are considered an improvement to the home, and the premier is responsible for covering the cost.
The Netanyahu family home has frequently made headlines due to expensive repairs — argued by some to have been unnecessary — that have been shouldered by the state over the years.
