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Israel is marking its 77th birthday today. But Independence Day was ruined last night as large swaths of the country were engulfed in what officials described as the largest wildfires in its history.
Many public celebrations were cancelled, including the national torch-lighting ceremony in Jerusalem, which was replaced with a pre-recorded broadcast. The national mood for the event was already subdued, with 59 hostages still held in Gaza and the war ongoing.
The first of the fires ignited yesterday when a major blaze broke out west of Jerusalem. Heat and strong wind spread the flames rapidly across central Israel, with many fires branching off, some of them well beyond the Jerusalem area.
Nearly 3,000 acres of woodland and farmland were destroyed by nightfall, and entire communities were evacuated. Twelve firefighting aircraft were deployed alongside 163 ground crews. The IDF dropped 25 loads of retardant from Super Hercules planes.
Hamas-linked social media accounts circulated messages urging people to increase the destruction by starting new fires. Authorities are probing the possibility that some blazes were started intentionally, but in most cases they are widely presumed to be natural forest fires.
A 50-year-old man from East Jerusalem was arrested on suspicion of arson. The Palestinian Authority offered to send firefighting teams to help, and several countries offered aid, including aircraft and crews from Italy, France, Spain, Croatia and Romania. More than 150 Israeli firefighting teams and military planes operated through the night. Firefighters are “closer to stabilising” the blazes, but some are still burning.
During the remaining Independence Day events, British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari lit one of the torches during the national ceremony. She was chosen as a symbol of resilience and national endurance. Her segment, recorded during rehearsals, was broadcast nationwide after the live torch-lighting was cancelled due to the wildfires.
Damari, released in November, stood alone in white and declared: “We will yet see rosy sunsets together.” Hostage campaigners have said in online posts and speeches that they consider Israel’s independence to be incomplete while Israelis are still captive in Gaza – and Damari has been echoing this message. A large demonstration with this theme was scheduled for last night but was cancelled due to the fires.
In his own Independence Day comments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared “complete victory”. Netanyahu said Israel had “changed the face of the Middle East” and predicted more peace agreements following military success.
In related news, Lebanon’s army says it has dismantled 90 per cent of Hezbollah’s military network in the south of the country. A senior Lebanese official said bunkers, tunnels and smuggling corridors near the Litani River had been destroyed.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said his forces now control “most of the south.” Israel issued no formal response but remained sceptical. Security analysts said the development, if accurate, would mark the most significant rollback of Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon in over a decade. Hezbollah has not commented on the announcement.
Elsewhere, two Israeli soldiers were wounded yesterday—one seriously—by a roadside bomb during a patrol near the West Bank town of Beita. The explosion occurred during a routine security sweep. Both soldiers were evacuated for treatment, with one airlifted in critical condition. The army launched an immediate lockdown of the area. No group claimed responsibility, but officials said the bomb was “professionally concealed” and timed for patrol movement.
Finally, Israel has expressed dismay at attacks in Syria on Druze citizens—and carried out airstrikes on some of the perpetrators. The warning followed reports of deadly sectarian clashes near Sahnaya, south of Damascus, where at least 40 people were killed. Israeli officials said they would not tolerate further violence against Druze civilians.
The Druze are a small religious group with communities in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The latest violence began yesterday after a faked audio clip, wrongly attributed to a Druze cleric, spread online. The Syrian government confirmed the recording was fabricated but retaliatory attacks still followed in Druze-populated areas near Damascus.
Israeli forces carried out airstrikes yesterday targeting extremists it said were preparing further attacks. Israel also evacuated three wounded Syrian Druze for medical treatment. Officials described this as a humanitarian gesture. “We will not allow harm to the Druze,” said one Israeli military source. No timeline was given for further action.
Turkey has demanded Israel stop airstrikes in Syria, saying the attacks threaten stability and violate Syrian sovereignty. The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued the statement yesterday, warning the strikes could escalate regional conflict. Officials in Ankara said Israel’s operations were “unacceptable” and called for an immediate halt.
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