Israel Says Fires Under Control After Nearly 2,500 Acres Scorched By Hezbollah Attacks
Fires continued to blaze across Israel’s north on Tuesday as a result of Hezbollah rockets and drones fired at the Galilee and Golan Heights over the past few days. Israeli firefighting services said on Tuesday morning that most of the large fires were under control but that teams were still battling the flames.
The Israeli fire department said its firefighters were "working hard to protect communities and property," adding that there was no threat to lives or infrastructure at the current time.
Over 30 firefighting teams were deployed to extinguish the flames. As a result of the fires, major roads in the Galilee remain shuttered.
The fire service also said nearly 990 acres of land were burned near Amiad. Israel’s Ziv Medical Center said early Tuesday in the northern city of Safad said it treated six reserve soldiers and five settlers for injuries and smoke inhalation.
The fires burned across Mount Adir, Kfar Giladi, Kiryat Shmona, and other areas. The fire service said it was still working to contain flames in Keren Naftali, which had broken out the day before.
The city of Katzrin, known as the Israeli capital of the occupied Golan Heights, was also subjected to intense flames.
New satellite imagery from the European Commission’s Sentinel-2 satellite showed a massive swathe of scorched land just south of Katzrin. Hezbollah had targeted the Katzrin area with a rocket barrage on Sunday.
## Satellite Imagery of Fires in Northern Israel - Golan - Katzrin
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) June 4, 2024
Satellite images from yesterday morning show the aftermath of massive fires in northern Israel caused by rocket and mortar attacks by Hezbollah targeting communities along the confrontation line, the Upper… pic.twitter.com/vgWPcF9bJF
On Monday, fires that initially broke out as a result of Hezbollah attacks over the weekend spread rapidly across the Israeli north. Hezbollah launched several more attacks on Monday and Tuesday.
Footage from Monday evening showed several areas in the north engulfed in flames and firefighters struggling to contain their spread.
Middle East Eye meanwhile writes:
The far-right Israel Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which is also a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, said on Monday that Israel should set up a security zone that extends into southern Lebanon.
Writing on social media site X, Smotrich said that "the new strategy being spearheaded by the war cabinet is going up in flames for hours and blowing up in our faces. A year ago, the defense minister said that we will send Lebanon back to the Stone Age. Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Defense Minister, Mr. Chief of Staff: That time has come".
Amiad, Northern Israel, after Hezbollah rocket fire.
— Yaari Cohen (@YaariCohen) June 4, 2024
Hezbollah has been firing at Northern Israel non-stop for 240 days, the terror organization must be stopped - implement UNSCR 1701, NOW! pic.twitter.com/9gHVMnNOSq
Over 2,470 acres (over 10 square kilometers) of land have been scorched as a result of Hezbollah’s recent attacks, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority said on 3 June.