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A heat wave is currently affecting the Middle East. Temperatures in excess of 40 ° were measured on the Mediterranean coastline between the Gaza Strip and northern Israel. And Israeli firefighters face hundreds of fires. Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has called for international air support to help fight these fires.
With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Guilhem Delteil
Throughout the day, hundreds of fires broke out in Israel and the West Bank. Most of these fires were contained, but in central Israel, two fires have grown.
In the afternoon, the local fire chief mobilized all his forces. But faced with the escalation of the flames, the Prime Minister has found it necessary to call on international aid. He asked his services to seek " immediate " air support from neighboring countries.
This Thursday, nearly 3,500 people had to be evacuated. In at least two places, houses have been burned. And according to a police official, the village of Mevo Modiin - which had a little over 200 inhabitants - was almost completely destroyed. Several roads had to be closed to traffic as well.
According to Israeli firefighters, the peak of heat combined with a Jewish tradition is responsible for the majority of these fires. Israel celebrated this Thursday Lag BaOmer, a party during which bonfires are lit. Some would have been poorly extinguished.
And the weather forecast worries the authorities: the temperatures should not drop before Saturday.