Israeli firefighters battled blazes in northern Israel overnight after they were sparked a day earlier by Hezbollah rocket attacks. Photo courtesy Israel Defense Forces/Facebook
Firefighters had blazes ignited by Hezbollah rocket fire in northern Israel mostly under control Tuesday morning, officials said.
More than a dozen wildfires were sparked Monday in northern Israel and Galilee by attacks from the Iran-backed militia amid extreme weather conditions, forcing the firefighters to work overnight, during which the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority posted pictures, videos and updates of the situation online. Advertisement
Officials said a fire in the Amiad region had burned nearly 990 acres but was under their control Tuesday morning after 18 firefighting teams battled it for more than nine hours overnight.
“The teams worked throughout the night with high intensity and determination,” Boris Eisenberg, Tiberias station commander and event commander, said in a statement.
In Kfar Giladi, firefighters stopped a blaze from spreading to houses in the city, while other responders were still working to contain an open area fire in Batzet and another in Keren Naftali.
The Israel Defense Forces on Telegram said it was aiding the fire authority in the effort, resulting in six reservist soldiers being “lightly injured” from smoke inhalation, and were transferred to a hospital for treatment. Advertisement
The fires were ignited amid an increase in cross-border attacks by Hezbollah from Lebanon and hot and dry weather in Israel.
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said that some 300 acres had burned in Upper Galilee and nearly 3,000 had burned in Golan Heights due to blazes ignited by recent attacks.
Hezbollah has been attacking Israel since the Middle Eastern country’s war began with Hamas, another Iran proxy militia, on Oct. 7, initially sparking fears that the war would spread — fears that seem to be reigniting.
The Times of Israel reports that 10 Israelis and 14 IDF soldiers have been killed in the cross-border fighting, which has also claimed the lives of 328 militants mostly in Lebanon but also Syria.
