Israeli politicians are publicly quarreling over the fires spurred by Hezbollah’s rockets, which were renewed again on Tuesday.
At least 16 Israeli settlers and soldiers were injured as a result of the untamed fires spreading through occupied northern territories since Monday afternoon.
Israeli media outlets reported that among the injured Israelis were seven soldiers in the Israeli occupation forces who were transferred to the Ziv Medical Center in occupied Safad.
Fires erupted in the occupied Golan and the occupied al-Jalil following an intense day of confrontations between the Resistance and the Israeli military. Spurred by high temperatures, blazes erupted and spread in 50 hotspots around occupied northern territories, encircling several settlements.
Most notably, the Israeli Kfar Giladi settlement and the occupation city of Kiryat Shmona were encircled in flames that also took hold of residential and agricultural sections of the settlements.
The Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 said that Israeli authorities have “lost control” in the occupied territories, as a result of widespread fires.
Up until this point, Israeli firefighters and local authorities are working on putting out fires in Kiryat Shmona, Upper al-Jalil, and the Birya forest which is located to the north of Safad.
Moreover, a correspondent for the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) who is currently reporting from Kiryat Shmona, said that he could not get any sleep on Monday after seeing “Kiryat Shmona burning,” adding that hotspots affected by the fires have been turned to ashes.
Northern blazes enrage Israeli ministers, local authorities
The Israeli war cabinet is scheduled to meet on Tuesday night to discuss the situation in the north. The meeting is expected to be heated after the fires prompted once again questions over the performance of the Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The developments in the Gaza Strip and northern occupied territories have further deepened the rift between Israeli politicians and decision-makers. Another split has also been experienced between the central Israeli government and local authorities in al-Jalil and Golan. Settlers in the north feel isolated and abandoned by the Israeli government, with such sentiments being inflamed as a result of the blazes that swept through several areas untamed.
The events prompted far-right Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his political opponents, the leaders of the State Camp coalition and members of the war cabinet, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eizenkot to visit the north in separate trips.
Source: AlMayadeen
