Six members of the Israeli fire brigade were injured, on Monday, as they attempted to control the fires in the Kiryat Shmona settlement (north), while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for “burning all of Lebanon,” in response to the outbreak of 15 fires in northern Israel after Hezbollah missiles.
The Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Monday evening that the fires were caused by the launching of dozens of missiles and drones from Lebanon.
She explained that the fires burned over a large area in the Reches Ramim area near Kiryat Shmona.
According to the newspaper, “several fire crews were called to the scene, and because of the danger threatening homes in Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot, instructions were issued to residents who remained in the area to evacuate.”
Six fire crews were slightly injured while extinguishing a fire in Kiryat Shmona, according to the same source.
The newspaper said, "15 fire spots were monitored in the Galilee and Golan (occupied Syrian) regions alone, most of them due to rocket firing, and on a particularly hot day, as the temperature in Kiryat Shmona and the Tiberias region reached more than 43 degrees Celsius."
In Kiryat Shmona, 7 fires are spreading, and 10 fire brigades are trying to prevent them from reaching homes, according to the newspaper.
Earlier Monday, the Israeli Fire and Rescue Authority said that a fire had spread to a neighborhood north of Kiryat Shmona, and that firefighting teams were fighting the rising flames to prevent them from spreading to homes, but some courtyards had already begun to burn, as well as the roof of one of the homes in the settlement.
According to the newspaper, “The city’s residents cried out for help as the fire approached their homes.”
Fires also broke out in the settlements of "Metula", "Kfar Giladi" (the remaining residents of which were evacuated for fear of their lives), "Keren Naftali", "Ilefelet", "Mavo Hama", "Nitor", and "Tel Saki", and also near From Shlomi in the Western Galilee, where 3 fire brigades work.
For its part, the official Hebrew Broadcasting Authority said that “cross-regional assistance” had been activated, and fire engines had left central Israel towards the north to help extinguish the fires.
In this context, the Hebrew newspaper "Haaretz" reported that fires broke out in "Rekhas Ramim" southeast of Kiryat Shmona, for about 5 kilometers, and the fire authorities evacuated several homes in Kiryat Shmona after the flames approached them.
The newspaper said: “Firefighting aircraft were not allowed to participate in the efforts for fear of being targeted by Hezbollah.”
For his part, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir commented on the outbreak of fires, saying: “What is happening now in the north is bankruptcy. It is time for all of Lebanon to burn,” according to the Hebrew newspaper “Maariv.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a post on his account on the “X” platform: “The North is on fire, and Israeli deterrence is burning with it.”
He added: "The government has no plan for the next day in Gaza, no plan to return the population to the north, no management and no strategy. A government of complete chaos."
Earlier Monday, the Israeli occupation army announced the launch of about 30 missiles from Lebanon, some of which landed in open areas in the north of the country, in addition to intercepting two drones and two landing in an open area.
Since October 8, Lebanese and Palestinian factions in Lebanon, most notably Hezbollah, have exchanged daily bombardments with the occupation army across the dividing “Blue Line,” resulting in hundreds killed and wounded, most of them on the Lebanese side.
The factions say that they "stand in solidarity with Gaza," which since October 7 has been subjected to an Israeli war that has left more than 118,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and about 10,000 missing amid famine and massive destruction.
Israel continues its war on Gaza, ignoring a Security Council resolution demanding that it stop the fighting immediately, and orders from the Court of Justice to stop its attack on Rafah, and take immediate measures to prevent acts of “genocide” and “improve the humanitarian situation” in Gaza.
Highly upsetting.
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