Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that three aircraft from Italy and Croatia would soon arrive to assist in battling the fires.
Wildfires raging near Jerusalem have triggered a national emergency, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that the flames could soon reach the city itself.
As the fires spread rapidly, thick smoke filled highways and nearby areas, forcing evacuations and injuring several people. Firefighters, backed by military support, are struggling to contain the worst brushfires Israel has seen in years, news agency AFP reported.
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Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue agency reported treating around 23 people, 13 of whom were hospitalized, primarily due to smoke inhalation and burns. The group included two pregnant women and two infants under one year old.
Police shut down the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires flared up once again in an area already devastated by blazes a week prior. Entire communities, home to thousands, were cleared out.
“A lot of police and firefighters arrived, but it didn’t help. The fire had already consumed the entire area,” said student Yosef Aaron, speaking to AFP from the side of the highway with flames visible in the distance.
National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir said that arson could be behind the fires. Police reported the arrest of a resident from East Jerusalem who was caught “attempting to set fire to a field in the southern part of the city.”
No official link has been made between the arrest and the ongoing fires.
What did Benjamin Netanyahu warn about wildfires?
Netanyahu cautioned that “the western wind can push the fire easily towards the outskirts of (Jerusalem) — and even into the city itself.”
“We need to bring as many fire engines as possible and create firebreaks well beyond the current fire lines… We are now in a national emergency, not just a local one. The priority right now is defending Jerusalem,” he added in a video statement.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his support for Israel and offered “material support” via a post on X.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s office announced that three aircraft from Italy and Croatia would soon arrive to assist in battling the fires.
