Since Wednesday morning, areas west of Jerusalem have been witnessing widespread forest fires that remain out of control, despite the efforts of dozens of firefighting teams supported by aircraft. These teams are struggling to contain the blazes, which have spread to several areas, particularly in the settlements of Beit Shemesh and Beit Meir.

Hebrew media reported that the fire, which broke out in forests near Jerusalem, quickly spread to the outskirts of settlements, forcing authorities to urgently evacuate residents and close major roads, most notably Highway 1, for fear of endangering residents.

In a significant development, the Israeli fire services declared a state of alert in six major areas, summoning all active firefighting crews.

The Jerusalem District Fire Chief confirmed that the fires are still burning in several areas, causing damage to homes in the town of Mesilat Zion, where the flames have reached the outskirts.

While firefighting operations are still underway, the Israeli Channel 10 reported that the Israeli occupation army has begun intervening with teams from the Home Front Command to provide field support, but the air force has not yet joined the firefighting efforts.

In the south, crews were able to achieve "relative control" over another fire that broke out in the interior plain near Tel Aviv, with cooling and extinguishing operations continuing.