(Kiryat Shmona) Israeli authorities are battling intense forest fires in the north of the country on Tuesday which broke out shortly after rocket and drone fire from neighboring Lebanon and required the partial evacuation of a locality.
“Firefighting units, assisted by various entities, are working to extinguish the fires,” Israeli police said in a statement, specifying that several residences in Kiryat Shmona had been “evacuated”.
An AFP photographer in this northeastern city saw intense fires devouring sections of this area adjoining the border with Lebanon, the scene of almost daily exchanges of fire between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the sidelines. of the war in Gaza.
The Israeli army indicated that it had deployed reinforcements in particular to support firefighters overwhelmed by the scale of the fires.
“Six reservist soldiers were slightly injured by smoke inhalation and transferred to hospital to receive medical treatment,” said the army, assuring “that no human life” was in danger “at this stage “.
Leaders of the army’s Northern Command arrived in Kiryat Shmona overnight to “assess the situation” in this sector.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that it was closely monitoring, in conjunction with the army, the evolution of these fires which broke out on Monday after rocket fire and the fall of armed drones launched from Lebanon.
In retaliation for these shots, the Israeli army claimed airstrikes on what it said were Hezbollah elements in southern Lebanon.