A spokesperson for Kiryat Shmona, where fires lapped overnight at the outskirts of the evacuated border city, lamented that the government was failing to provide even the most basic level of security for residents.
Opposition lawmakers panned the government for failing to control what has been an escalating border conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group, while far-right ministers declared it was time to go to war in Lebanon, a course of action the government has sought to avoid as Israel is already fighting the Palestinian terror group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with no clear end to that conflict in sight after eight months of war.
Rocket fire that began on Sunday and continued on Monday caused sweeping wildfires that rapidly spread amid hot, dry conditions. Eleven people were treated for light smoke inhalation and there was some damage to property and agricultural areas.
By Tuesday morning, the Fire and Rescue Services said they had most blazes under control. However, at around 9 a.m., warning sirens blared throughout the Galilee due to a possible drone and rocket attack from Lebanon. An Israeli interceptor missile apparently launched at a target was said to have failed and exploded near the city of Safed. Falling fragments from the missile caused a new fire in the area. READ MORE