Fires erupt in northern Israel amid escalating conflict with Lebanon

The fires broke out at night following missile and drone strikes launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, prompting the evacuation of some residents in a town near the border, according to Israeli authorities.

Widespread fires broke out in northern Israel on Monday night following missile and drone strikes launched by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon, prompting the evacuation of some residents in a town near the border, according to Israeli authorities.

The police said in a statement that “fire units, with the help of several agencies, are working to extinguish the fire,” noting that many homes were evacuated in Kiryat Shmona, near the border with Lebanon.

An Agence France-Presse photographer saw fires breaking out in areas of the border areas with Lebanon, which since October have witnessed an almost daily exchange of bombing between Israel and Hezbollah, against the backdrop of the war between the Hebrew state and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Gaza Strip.

Intense fire and several injuries:

The Israeli army confirmed that it deployed reinforcements to support firefighters in light of the intensity of the fire, explaining in a statement that “six reserve soldiers… were slightly injured due to smoke inhalation and were taken to the hospital to receive medical treatment.

He pointed out that “the forces took control of the places where the fires broke out, and at this stage, there is no danger” to the residents, pointing out that the commanders of the northern region arrived in Kiryat Shmona during the night and are preparing an “assessment of the situation.”In turn, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that it is closely monitoring the fires.

A series of offensive operations:

These fires came after the Lebanese Hezbollah, which Tehran supports, announced that it would launch a series of offensive operations on Monday with missiles and drones, targeting military sites and locations where Israeli soldiers are deployed in the north of the country.

For its part, the Israeli army confirmed that it responded to these attacks with air strikes that targeted Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Since the day after the outbreak of the Gaza War on October 7, following a Hamas attack on south Israel, Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged bombardments across the border between the two countries.

The last few days have witnessed a noticeable escalation between the two parties. Since the start of the escalation, at least 453 people have been killed in Lebanon, including 88 civilians and 293 Hezbollah fighters, according to an Agence France-Presse count based on Hezbollah data and official Lebanese sources. The Israeli side, for its part, announced the killing of 14 soldiers and 11 civilians.