01-05-2025
Wildfires rage near Jerusalem, Israel PM asks many countries for help
Israeli security and rescue personnel work near Latrun in central Israel, as wildfires due to extreme heat and winds broke out in central Israel, April 30, 2025 REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
JERUSALEM- Wildfires raged on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of communities and the closure of a main highway as Israel appealed for international assistance to help fight the blaze.
TV footage showed fires burning along the main Route 1 Jerusalem to Tel Aviv highway and people abandoning cars and running away from the flames as thick smoke billowed over the surrounding hilltops.
Israel has requested international aid to fight the wildfires
, which were still spreading as of Wednesday evening. Officials had reached out to Britain, France, Greece, Italy and other countries for assistance, according to the Israeli government
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Italy and Croatia were expected to send three firefighting planes to help extinguish the flames.
sraeli media reported that 120 fire and rescue services had mobilised dozens of teams, aircraft and helicopters to try to contain the fires and the military said its search and rescue forces were assisting the operations.
Three communities were evacuated, police said, and at least 13 people were injured. There were no reports of fatalities.
The fire broke out on Israel's Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and many ceremonies marking the eve of its Independence Day were cancelled, including the main state event due to be held in Jerusalem.
Israel's largest ever'
The Fire and Rescue Service's Jerusalem District commander says that today's fires may be the largest in Israel's history and that firefighters have a long way to go before the blazes are contained.
'We are amidst a very large wildfire, maybe the largest there has ever been in this country,' Shmulik Friedman says during a press conference held in Eshtaol this evening.
'Regarding our activity, it will continue for a very long time. We are far from having control [over the fires],' he says.
He said that the blazes, which began near Mesilat Zion at around 9:30 a.m., were carried west by strong winds. The fires have since shifted direction eastward.
The senior firefighter warns that winds are expected to pick up this evening and could reach speeds of up to 90-100 kilometers per hour (56-62 mph), which could worsen the spread of the wildfires.
When asked about the underlying causes, Friedman replies: 'We do not currently know what caused the fire, we have absolutely no clue, and we are not yet dealing with this.
Reuters/ Times of Israel
