Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday visited the fire management forward command post overseeing the firefighting efforts at several locations where wildfires have been blazing since the morning.
The Prime Minister opened his remarks by noting that "very important work is being done here by the police and the fire and rescue service, and all of the other elements, including community heads."
He assured that as of now, no community has been damaged and nobody has been injured. "This is the guideline – we need to prevent losses, and in order to prevent losses, the firefighting force must continue to be operated at full force, at night if possible.
"Nighttime is the weak point because at night the embers go back to burning and the winds spread the fire. We have already been tested by this in the past. If you have the possibility of using the Samson planes, so much the better. Do so carefully, of course, but it is important."
Netanyahu described the goals of the firefighting mission: "The first priority in preventing loss of life is to ensure that there are no firetraps. This means there are clear evacuation routes from the communities, and those cannot be closed. If you do not succeed in that effort and the fire is in danger of closing in on a community, evacuate the community and, of course, do not allow entry into firetraps."
He continued, "Second, defend the Jerusalem line. We do not know how this fire will develop. We hope that you will succeed in bringing it under control, and this is what you anticipate. But should this not be the case, the Mevaseret and Jerusalem line must be defended; it simply cannot be allowed to reach it. Of course, defend the communities in that range."
The Prime Minister also ordered the preparation of reserves from other countries, such as Greece.
"Tell people, the public, not to come here, not to approach, not to come within range of the fire. This simply saves lives," he added.