Tel Aviv
\nIsraeli firefighting teams have been tackling wildfires near Jerusalem for a second day, with police reporting the reopening of several major roads that had been closed.
\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that 18 people have been detained on suspicion of arson, according to Israel\u2019s Arutz Sheva media outlet.
\nIsrael\u2019s fire service says more than 150 firefighting teams are still working to extinguish blazes and 12 aircraft were working to contain the flames.
\nThe fires broke out on Wednesday along the main Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway, prompting police to shut the roads and evacuate thousands of residents from nearby areas.
\nRescue agency Magen David Adom said it treated 23 people on Wednesday, mostly for smoke inhalation and burns.
\nSeventeen firefighters have also been injured, according to Israel\u2019s public broadcaster Kan.
\nCrews worked through the night, allowing the reopening of main roads, including the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv route, police said.
\n\u201cAll routes have been reopened to traffic,\u201d according to a police statement.
\nNational emergency
\nFanned by high temperatures and strong winds, the fires spread rapidly through wooded areas, prompting evacuations from at least five communities, police said.
\nEuropean countries Italy and Cyprus have dispatched eight firefighting planes to Israel to support its emergency efforts, according to The Times of Israel.
\nThe assistance comes as fires continue to burn in 11 hotspots near Jerusalem, with seven towns still under evacuation, the media outlet said, quoting Israel\u2019s Fire and Rescue Service.
\nIsrael\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared a \u201cnational emergency\u201d, warning the fires could spread into Jerusalem.
\nThe Israeli military said its personnel were helping in Jerusalem and other central districts.
\n\u201cOvernight, dozens of engineering vehicles started operating throughout the country to form lines to prevent the fire from spreading into other trees,\u201d a military statement said on Thursday.
\n\u201cThe IAF (air force) continues assisting in the effort to extinguish the fires,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tel Aviv Israeli firefighting teams have been tackling wildfires near Jerusalem for a second day, with police reporting the reopening of several major roads that had been closed. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that 18 people have been detained on suspicion of arson, according to Israel\u2019s Arutz Sheva media outlet. Israel\u2019s fire service […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":475904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-475878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n