Large fires erupted in northern Israel overnight, according to Israeli police, who stated early Tuesday that the blazes were caused by rocket fire from southern Lebanon.
Local Israeli firefighting chief Boris Eisenberg reported that the flames destroyed around 4,000 dunams (1,000 acres or 400 hectares) of the northern region. Israel's Fire and Rescue Services mentioned that 18 firefighting teams, including an air firefighting squadron, had been sent to combat the fires.
Teams worked tirelessly through the night and successfully gained control in all sectors, according to Eisenberg.
Uri Cohen, a spokesperson for the fire and rescue services in the north, reported on Tuesday that two other fires were spreading in the north due to weather conditions and an interceptor falling in Biriya Forest in Upper Galilee.
Cohen mentioned that they saw the interception and quickly responded with more forces and intense efforts to control the fire. They were working hard to contain the flames.
As fires started at noon on Monday in the mountainous Galilee region, Israeli police immediately began evacuating residents. They assisted in evacuating homes in Kiryat Shmona, a city in the north close to the Lebanese border.
Israel had issued a warning on Monday about an upcoming heatwave and advised against starting fires in forests. The blazes broke out shortly after.
Hezbollah, a Lebanese Islamist group, announced on Monday that they had sent a "swarm of drones" to attack Israel's Galilee military command. This resulted in fires breaking out in the building. The group stated that this action was in retaliation for Israeli attacks on homes and Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanon. They also reported that three Hezbollah fighters lost their lives on Monday.
Last October, thousands of Israeli residents were forced to leave their homes due to clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli military. Hezbollah stated that their attacks on northern Israel were a retaliation to Israel's actions in Gaza.
Editor's P/S:
The recent
