Massive fires ‘sparked by Hezbollah rocket and drone strikes’ rage across Israel as city evacuated
LEBANESE militant group Hezbollah has “taken revenge” on Israel and set the north on fire with a barrage of rockets and drones.
Israel’s military claims to have killed a prominent operative involved in improving Hezbollah’s air defences in a strike in southern Lebanon.
Firefighters battled blazes across northern Israel early this morning, reportedly sparked yesterday by rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon.
Thirty firefighting crews worked overnight to extinguish the fires as major roads were closed in Galilee, said Israel’s fire and rescue services.
Several yards, outdoor structures, and the roof of at least one home were up in flames in the mostly-evacuated city of Kiryat Shmona.
First responders worked tirelessly to control the flames and stop them from reaching homes in Kfar Giladi and Kiryat Shmona.
Doron Shnaper, spokesman for Kiryat Shmona, said: “Under the orders of the firefighting forces and Kiryat Shmona police, we have begun evacuating residents who remained in the city despite the evacuation order.
“We are going door to door, asking those in their homes to evacuate immediately.”
Dramatic video shared on social media showed a large team battling flames encroaching on Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, north of the city.
But fires also broke out in the areas of Mount Adir and Amiad, where it was firefighters’ goal to prevent the blaze from jumping to the nearby village of Kahal, which has a population of about 500 people.
Infernos which raged since yesterday afternoon were mostly brought under control by Tuesday morning, Israel’s fire service said.
One fire near Amiad is estimated to have burned nearly 990 acres.
Six Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reservists and five citizens were treated for smoke inhalation, said the military and a medical centre.
The fires come amid intensifying cross-border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah, with the Iran-backed group firing a number of barrages at Galilee and Golan Heights in recent days.
Some 15 active fire sites were reported in the Galilee-Golan region alone, which Israeli media said resulted mostly from rocket fire on a day as hot as 43C in Kiryat Shmona and the Sea of Galilee area.
Attacks on Sunday caused bushfires that consumed more than 2,470 acres of foliage, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
Clashes at the border have led to the deaths of 10 Israeli civilians and 14 Israeli soldiers and reservists since Hezbollah-led forces began attacking Israel in October – supposedly in support of ending the war in Gaza.
Israel has killed 328 Hezbollah members, mostly in Lebanon but also in Syria, according to the militant group.
Another 62 operatives from other militant groups have been killed in Lebanon, as well as a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians.
Israel’s military claimed to have killed prominent Hezbollah operative Hussein Sabra in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon yesterday morning.
Sabra was involved in efforts to improve Hezbollah’s air defence unit by equipping it with new means, according to the IDF.