Netanyahus spent weekend at US billionaire's ‘missile-proof’ home as fears of Iranian attack grew: Report

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with his family, reportedly moved to US billionaire Simon Falic’s “missile-proof” residence over the weekend amid growing concerns over a potential retaliatory strike from Iran, which eventually launched drones and missiles against its arch-enemy.

At the beginning of Israel’s war against Hamas following the October 7 attack, the Netanyahu family shifted to Falic’s house located in the Talpiot neighbourhood of Jerusalem. They had been alternating between the Talpiot house and their private home in Caesarea. However, in recent months, Netanyahu’s family had returned to their home on Gaza Street in Jerusalem.

Read: US helps Israel thwart Iran’s ‘missiles, drones’ attack, India reacts to conflict: 10 points

But the Israeli PM spent the night at Falic’s fortified house, which reportedly has a bunker, after fears of an Iranian attack grew strong, reported local news outlet Walla. A Haaretz journalist was the first to report that the Netanyahu couple had returned to stay at the villa in Talpiot.

Simon Falic is a businessman and one of the three brothers who run the Falic Group, a privately held duty-free retail company. The Falic Group is based in Miami, Florida, and operates duty-free stores in airports and other travel-related locations around the world. The company is known for selling luxury goods such as perfumes, cosmetics, and fashion accessories.

Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, throwing the war-torn region into a deeper crisis.

Read: Iran attack: Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel ready ‘defensively, offensively’

U.S. President Joe Biden, who spoke with Netanyahu over the telephone, said he would convene a meeting of leaders of the Group of Seven major economies on Sunday to coordinate a diplomatic response to what he called Iran’s brazen attack.

The U.N. Security Council is set to meet at 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) on Sunday after Israel requested it condemn Iran’s attack and designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.

Israel’s Channel 12 TV cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying there would be a “significant response” to the attack.

Read: Why Iran attacked Israel with missiles and drones

Tehran said its strike was punishment for “Israeli crimes”, referring to the strike at its consulate in Damascus that killed senior Iranian commanders. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the consulate attack.

“Should the Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations said, warning the U.S. to “stay away”. However, it also said Iran now “deemed the matter concluded”.

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