THIS is the shocking moment raging wildfires surge towards Jerusalem, as Israel declares a “national emergency”.
Cops have arrested 18 people on suspicion of arson following the monster inferno.
Shocking footage shows thick black smoke above the main highway linking Jerusalem to Tel Aviv as firefighters race to control the blaze.
Terrified drivers can be seen scrambling to get out of their vehicles as they flee from the scene.
The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that the fires could reach the city and declared a “national emergency”.
Netanyahu said: “The western wind can push the fire easily towards the outskirts of [Jerusalem] – and even into the city itself.
“We need to deploy as many fire engines as we can and establish firebreaks far beyond the current fire lines… This situation has escalated into a national emergency, not just a local one.”
On Wednesday, at least 12 individuals were hospitalized after inhaling smoke, and another 10 received treatment on-site, as reported by Israeli emergency services.
Among them were two pregnant women and two infants under a year old.
18 people have been arrested on suspicion of arson, according to Netanyahu.
National security minister Itamar Ben Gvir also hinted that arson could be behind the fires.
Cops said they had arrested a resident of east Jerusalem who was caught “attempting to set fire to a field in the southern part of the city”.
The fire broke out around midday on Wednesday.
The flames quickly spread through a pine forest due to hot, dry conditions and strong winds.
Several communities were evacuated as a precaution as the smoke took over the area.
The fire has now burned about 5,000 acres making it the worst fire Israel has had in the past decade.
A spokesperson for Israels fire and rescue authority Tal Volvovitch said the fire has thankfully not damaged any homes.
The highway was reopened on Thursday and evacuation orders were lifted for a number of towns in the Jerusalem hills.
But efforts to extinguish the fires continue.
Israeli authorities said that ten firefighting planes were operating on Thursday morning.
They added that another eight aircraft to arrive during the course of the day.
Countries like Italy, Croatia, Spain, France, Ukraine, and Romania have dispatched planes to help combat the fires, while North Macedonia and Cyprus have provided water-dropping aircraft.
The last time Israel saw fires like this was in 2010 when a massive forest fire burned for four days on northern Israels Mount Carmel.
The fires claimed 44 lives and destroyed around 12,000 acres of land.
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