Israel has vowed that Iran will “pay a price” for the drone attack on the home of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which was carried out by Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy in Lebanon.

The stern warning from Israel followed Hezbollah’s launch of three drones targeting Netanyahu’s private residence on Saturday morning.

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While two of the drones were intercepted, one reportedly exploded near the Prime Minister’s private residence, causing “superficial damage”, reported an Israeli English daily.

Neither the Prime Minister nor his wife were at home during the attack, the daily added.

This marked the first time that Netanyahu was directly targeted since the war broke out last year.

In a statement following the attack, Netanyahu said, “The agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake.”

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that the attempt on Netanyahu’s life was “intended to harm the State of Israel and its governmental symbols.”

He added, “The security establishment will continue to strike with force against any terrorist element that seeks to harm the State of Israel. Our actions throughout the Middle East have proven this to date and will continue to do so in the future.”

Gallant further emphasised, “Israel is deepening its successes in the arenas of war – continuing to dismantle Hamas, significantly reducing Hezbollah’s capabilities, and eliminating the terrorist leaders responsible for starting this war. Hezbollah’s attempts to deter us from achieving our goals will not succeed.”