Smoke canisters placed near the prime minister's residence in Caesarea

Three smoke canisters were placed dozens of meters from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence in Caesarea on Friday afternoon causing no damage, according to the security department in the Prime Minister's Office. The smoke canisters were opened amid protests against the alleged corruption of the Netanyahu government, which included a specific protest in favor of removing an offshore oil drilling rig away from the Israeli coast. Walla reports that a teenager threw a gas canister to the ground which led to another protestor who grabbed it and threw it into the garbage can. The crowd dispersed and no one was arrested. Some 800 activists gathered to protest the Leviathan off-shore drilling rig, which will be built 10 kilometers off of the coast of Dor beach near Haifa, to be relocated 120 kilometers from the beach. The protestors believe that the oil rig will massively pollute the sea and ask that the rig be moved, according to a Netanya web-based news site. Following the incident, the protestors' spokesperson from the Israeli Forum for the Protection of the Beaches commented on the incident: 'we strongly condemn any element polluting the environment in general and in particular the use of flares and smoke canisters. The act was not coordinated with the demonstration and does not reflect the philosophy of the organization that advocates to protect the environment.' On Thursday the prime minister addressed a story published in the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv claiming his wife Sara Netanyahu requested an armed vehicle for protection. The prime minister wrote on his official Twitter account: 'This is another example of fake news, needless to say, neither my wife or I have made any such request.'

Smoke canisters placed near the prime minister's residence in Caesarea

The smoke canisters were opened during the protests against the alleged corruption of the Netanyahu regime, which included a specific protest in favor of removing an offshore oil drilling rig.

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