Israeli firefighters battle to extinguish fires after Hezbollah rocket fire

By Anadolu staff

JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli firefighters are battling to put out three fires in Upper Galilee near the border with Lebanon following Hezbollah rocket fire, according to local media on Tuesday.

The fires erupted in Keren Naftali, Birya Forest, and Margaliot after rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah hit the area, the Israeli public broadcaster KAN reported.

Some 16 people suffered smoke inhalation from the fires and damage was reported to a house and several warehouses in the area.

"The time has come for actions, not words,” KAN quoted Avichai Stern, the mayor of Kiryat Shmona settlement, as saying.

“For every rocket that falls on the city, dozens of rockets should be launched at Lebanese cities, not just Hezbollah targets,” he added.

Stern said that Israeli authorities “were not well prepared” for a long war with Hezbollah.

Early Tuesday, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for destroying Hezbollah amid cross-border attacks between the two sides.

Tension has flared along the border between Lebanon and Israel amid intermittent exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in the deadliest clashes since the two sides fought a full-scale war in 2006.

The border tension comes amid an Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed over 36,400 people since a major attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7 last year.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala