What caused the Israel wildfires? At least 18 suspects arrested possible arson link investigated
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that 18 people had been arrested on suspicion of starting fires outside Jerusalem, with one allegedly caught in the act of arson, as the country battled possibly its worst ever wildfires.
“This is perhaps the largest fire ever in the country,” Jerusalem’s district fire department commander Shmulik Friedman told reporters on Wednesday afternoon.
While the exact cause of the fires near Latrun was still unclear, Mr Netanyahu said the blaze was “not a simple thing”.
“There is harm to nature and also harm to people, and we are holding 18 people at the moment who are suspected of arson, one of whom was caught in the act,” he said.
The Jerusalem Chronicle earlier reported that a 50-year-old man had been arrested for allegedly trying to start a fire near southern Jerusalem.
The man from Jerusalem’s Umm Tuba was reportedly caught with a lighter, cotton wool and other flammable materials after police received a tip-off.
Two other people had been arrested along with him, the news outlet said, without providing details. They were suspected of either starting or exacerbating the fires.
The wildfires near Jerusalem have forced evacuations and road closures and prompted Mr Netanyahu to declare a national emergency and request international aid. The fires started on Wednesday, spread rapidly due to strong winds and scorched vast forested areas.
Fires burned along Route 1 to Tel Aviv, prompting panic as people fled on foot. More than a dozen people were hospitalised, among them two pregnant women and two infants, according to the national emergency service Magen David Adom.
Authorities, however, said it was too early to definitively determine whether the fires were deliberately caused. Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir asked for military helicopters to assist in evacuating people from affected areas.
He hinted that arson could be behind the fires and urged security services to classify any arsonist as a domestic terrorist. Mr Netanyahu warned the western wind could push the fires towards the outskirts of Jerusalem, “and even into the city itself”.
“We need to bring as many fire engines as possible and create firebreaks well beyond the current fire lines,” the Israeli leader said in a video statement.
“We are now in a national emergency, not just a local one. The priority right now is defending Jerusalem.”
Although authorities allowed some evacuated residents to return home on Thursday, they warned of a possible resurgence of wildfires due to rising temperatures and winds.
