Raging wildfires near Jerusalem trigger army deployment
Thick plumes of smoke billowed above highways near Jerusalem on Wednesday as firefighters rushed to control wildfires that have injured several people and prompted Defense Minister Israel Katz to declare the situation a "national emergency".
Israel's Magen David Adom rescue agency reported that hundreds of civilians were at risk from the worst brushfires in years, with Katz ordering troops to deploy to support firefighters.
MDA said it had provided treatment to around 23 people, 13 of whom were taken to the hospital, the majority suffering from smoke inhalation and burns. Among them were two pregnant women and two children less than a year old, it added.
It said the alert level had been raised to the highest tier.
"We are facing a national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilized to save lives and bring the fires under control," Katz said in a statement from his ministry.
Police closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out again in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago. Communities home to thousands of people have been cleared out.
"Our aircraft can't do anything right now due to the weather conditions ... Our goal is to save lives," fire chief Eyal Caspi said at a televised press conference.
"We are apparently facing the largest fire in Israel in a decade."
The police said on X that they had deployed in force around Route 1 and the Jerusalem Hills, asking the public to "avoid travelling to the area".
An AFP journalist at the scene earlier on Wednesday said the blaze was sweeping through wooded areas near the main road between Latrun and Bet Shemesh, and that helicopters were working to extinguish the flames.
Bet Shemesh resident Shimon Bitton, 42, said his daughters had been evacuated from school.
"Even though we were scared, everything seems to be fine."
Soldiers arrived on the scene mid-afternoon, with many drivers abandoning their vehicles and fleeing as huge clouds of dark smoke billowed from the fire.
Communities located about 30 kilometers west of Jerusalem were evacuated, Israeli media reported, airing images of firefighting teams battling fierce flames.
'Worsening weather conditions'
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir hinted that arson could be behind the fires, as police said they had arrested a resident of east Jerusalem who was caught "attempting to set fire to a field in the southern part of the city".
But there was no official declaration directly linking the two.
Ben Gvir said police would arrest anyone "involved in arson terror", while also monitoring for unrest.
MDA said ambulance teams had been positioned near communities close to the fires and were ready to provide medical treatment and assist residents.
A motorcycle unit was ready to offer medical assistance to citizens stuck in heavy traffic, the agency added.
High temperatures and strong winds have allowed the fires in wooded areas to spread quickly, prompting evacuations from at least five communities, the police said in a statement.
Ben Gvir, who oversees Israel's fire department, visited the affected area, which is prone to wildfires at this time of year.
In a video statement, he said work was being done to bring more assistance to the affected areas and evacuate stranded civilians.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has contacted nearby countries including Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Italy and Bulgaria for assistance, according to a statement.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said three aircraft would arrive soon from Italy and Croatia to help fight the fires.
With personnel stretched thin, Ben Gvir said he had instructed organizers to cancel any evening events tied to Thursday's Independence Day celebrations that would have required the presence of firefighters.
"The decision is aimed at reallocating forces to deal with the fire, strengthening firefighting units in the Jerusalem district, and preparing for the worsening weather conditions according to forecasts," a statement said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
MTV Lebanon
15 hours ago
- MTV Lebanon
Mexico assessing damage from Hurricane Erick after storm killed 2
Residents and authorities in southern Mexico are assessing the damage and watching for rising rivers as rain from the remnants of Hurricane Erick doused the region. Landslides and flooding were an ongoing concern for officials after Erick – once a Category 4 hurricane — dissipated following landfall early Thursday. At least two deaths have been confirmed – a 1-year-old boy who drowned in a swollen river in Guerrero state and a man was electrocuted while helping with debris removal in Oaxaca state, officials said. Erick came ashore down southern Mexico's Pacific coast Thursday morning as a Category 3 major hurricane. It landed between the resort cities of Acapulco and Puerto Escondido. Erick had strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it approached the coast, but weakened to a Category 3 storm before making landfall. Having doubled in strength in less than a day, Erick churned through an ideal environment for quick intensification. Last year, there were 34 incidents of rapid intensification — when a storm gains at least 55 kph (35 mph) in 24 hours — which is about twice the average and causes problems with forecasting, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Authorities reported landslides, blocked highways, downed power lines and some flooding as coastal residents, above all in Acapulco, took the storm seriously with memories of the devastating Hurricane Otis in 2023 still fresh in their minds. Erick wiped out power to more than 120,000 customers at one point. "It was very strong, very ugly... the entire town is homeless, without clothes, we have no help," Francisca Avila, a 45-year-old housewife, told AFP, as she surveyed the loss of most of her belongings. In Puerto Escondido, fishermen searched for and inspected storm-tossed boats and residents cleared downed trees and other debris. Much of the town of about 30,000 people was left without electricity or cellphone coverage, AFP reported. The remnants of the storm dissipated Thursday night over the mountains in Michoacan state. Restaurants, shops and supermarkets gradually reopened in Acapulco, but schools remained closed across Guerrero on Friday as authorities continued to assess damage, clear debris and monitor rising rivers. "Many of us were frightened, but now it has passed," said Juan Carlos Castañeda, a 49-year-old security guard at an Acapulco condominium complex. He said the "tragedy of Otis marked all of us." Despite the rain, Castañeda decided to go out for a walk. Down the coast in the fishing village of Barra Vieja, the wind-whipped surf battered the shore and heavy rain kept residents sheltered indoors. Perla Rosas, however, was among the few who ventured out, umbrella in hand, to get to her job at a convenience store. "I feel more relaxed now, so I decided to come to work." Erick is the first major hurricane of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which runs from May 15 to Nov. 30. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
LBCI
13-06-2025
- LBCI
Blasts heard in Natanz city, home to key nuclear site: Iranian state TV
Blasts were heard Friday morning in Natanz city in Iran's central province of Isfahan, where a key nuclear site is located, state TV reported. "Loud explosions were heard in Natanz", which hosts one of the main uranium enrichment facilities, state TV reported. AFP
MTV Lebanon
12-06-2025
- MTV Lebanon
Canada town near Vancouver ready to evacuate as fire nears
Residents of a town near Vancouver were on stand-by to evacuate Wednesday as Canada's devastating wildfire season worsened, with officials warning weather conditions through the summer were ripe for further blazes. A state of emergency has been declared in Squamish, British Columbia, just 64 kilometres (40 miles) north of Vancouver, a city where the greater metropolitan area population exceeds three million. British Columbia's emergency management department warned late Tuesday that some residents of Squamish district "must be ready to leave on short notice." Max Whittenburg, a 19-year-old Squamish resident, told AFP he was "in shock" to see the fire encroach so close to the community. "I've never seen a fire in Squamish, at all, ever," the skateboard coach said. "We've already prepared most of the stuff in our house just in case we do have to evacuate," he added. "We'll be ready to go." Luke Procter, also 19, said he was staying up late and rising early to prepare, including by helping his father "hook up the trailer to our jeep just in case we need to go." Marc-Andre Parisien, a researcher at the Canadian Forest Service, said fires near the coast like the one threatening Squamish are particularly worrying because "these are areas that did not traditionally burn." They remain less intense than fires further inland, but "we have more and more of them," he told AFP. Two years after a historically devastating summer, Canada is once again facing a massive fire season, with burned areas already exceeding year-to-date averages from recent years. More than 220 active fires were burning across the country Tuesday, with half of them considered out of control. More than 3.3 million hectares (12,700 square miles) have already been consumed by flames -- an area equivalent to the country of Belgium. Smoke from Canadian fires has reached Europe after drifting across the Atlantic Ocean. Increased risk Two provinces in central Canada -- Saskatchewan and Manitoba -- had rough starts to fire season, and had to declare a state of emergency at the end of May. There was positive news in Saskatchewan on Wednesday after what provincial Premier Scott Moe called "a vicious couple of weeks" combatting wildfires "that in some cases have virtually been unstoppable." Moe said that while the province is still confronting fires in northern Saskatchewan, roughly half of those who had been forced to evacuate are "gearing up" to return home. Mega wildfires are still burning in western Alberta, British Columbia, and in northern Ontario, the country's most populous province. In recent years, Canada has experienced warming at least twice as fast as the rest of the globe. Linked to human-induced climate change, rising temperatures lead to reduced snow, shorter and milder winters, and earlier summer conditions that promote fires, experts say. Environment Canada forecast this week that much of of the country was likely to see higher than normal temperatures throughout the summer. That, combined with dry spring conditions in several areas, "could increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months," the weather and climate agency said. Now, more than a dozen new fires are detected daily across Canada -- often started accidentally by humans, but sometimes ignited by lightning strikes.
