Three suspects arrested after flares near Israel PM’s home: Police

Three suspects were arrested, Israeli police said Sunday morning, after two flares landed near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in the central town of Caesarea.

“Three suspects were arrested overnight for their involvement in the incident” that took place Saturday evening, the police said in a statement, adding that the suspects would be interrogated jointly with the Shin Bet internal security agency.

The statement added that a court ordered a gag on publishing any details of the investigation or the suspects’ identities for 30 days.

Two flares had landed near Netanyahu’s residence in Caesarea on Saturday evening in what Shin Bet described as a “serious incident,” though the premier was not present there at the time.

The speaker of Israel’s parliament, Amir Ohana, accused anti-government protesters of being behind the incident.

“The writing was on the walls, on the streets, in incendiary messages and in demonstrations,” he said, referring to regular anti-government protests that erupted in early 2023.

Former war cabinet member and opposition figure Benny Gantz wrote on X: “If the suspicions are true and activists are behind the firing of flares at the premier’s residence, it should be said clearly: this is not protest, this is terrorism.”

In the nine months leading up to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Israel saw mass protests over a divisive judicial overhaul introduced by Netanyahu’s far-right government that opponents called a threat to Israeli democracy.

Though the reforms were suspended when the war broke out, protests against Netanyahu and his government have continued, alongside demonstrations calling for a deal to release hostages held in Gaza.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned Saturday’s incident and warned “against an increase in violence in the public sphere.

“I have now spoken with the head of the Shin Bet and expressed the urgent need to investigate and deal with those responsible for the incident as soon as possible,” Herzog said in a post on X.