Zionist Defense Minister Israel Katz ordered troops to deploy on Wednesday to support firefighters battling rapidly spreading wildfires near occupied Jerusalem, calling the situation a “national emergency”.
Meanwhile, the Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar reportedly contacted several European counterparts in order secure aerial support.
According to the latest Israeli media reports, more than 10,000 settlers and more than nine settlements have been evacuated due to ongoing fires in Jerusalem mountains.
A rescue agency reported hundreds of civilians were currently at risk from the fires.
Sixteen people were being treated for minor injuries from smoke inhalation, the agency said, adding the alert level had been raised to the highest level.
Israeli Police closed the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway and evacuated residents along the route as brushfires broke out again in an area ravaged by blazes a week ago.
“We are facing a national emergency, and all available forces must be mobilised to save lives and bring the fires under control,” Katz said in a statement from his ministry.
The fire was raging in wooded areas near the main road between Latrun and Beit Shemesh and that helicopters were working to extinguish the flames.
According to media reports, wildfires also erupted in the forests of the occupied city of Khdeira.
Source: Websites
