The Israel Meteorological Service has warned that severe weather conditions affecting much of the country could continue as fires rage across Jerusalem and central Israel.
The combination of strong winds, extremely high temperatures and low humidity in the country is increasing the risk and spread of the fires.
According to the Jerusalem Post, a man (50) has been arrested for allegedly trying to set fire to an open field in southern Jerusalem.
International assistance from the global community, including neighboring countries Greece, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus and Bulgaria, is not expected to arrive until Thursday morning.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is leading a “marathon” of talks with international colleagues, with a focus on European countries.
119 firefighting teams, 10 firefighting planes and a helicopter have been deployed to put out the fires. Israeli media reported that the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to the area of the fire.
The commander of the Jerusalem District Fire and Rescue Service says the fires may be the largest in Israel’s history and that firefighters have a long way to go before they can contain them.
“We are in the middle of a very large fire, perhaps the largest ever in this country,” Shmulik Friedman said during a press conference held tonight.
He also said they are far from controlling the fire.
