Israel: Fires are now finally under control

Israel's Fire Services Commissioner announced a short time ago today (Thursday) that the wildfires, which have been raging throughout Israel for the past 24 hours, have finally been contained and are under control.

According to the Jewish National Fund, responsible for the management of most of Israel's land, some 20,000 dunams were burned thus far by the blazes.

Arson is suspected in many of the secondary fires started after the first blaze, but the source of the original wildfires is still a matter of investigation.

The fire was so intense that most Independence Day ceremonies needed to be cancelled for fear of everyone's safety, and a number of towns and urban areas needed to be temporarily evacuated.

The IDF deployed large Hercules planes to dump firefighting materials on the fire, and multiple countries - including Romania, Spain, and France - promised firefighting planes and logistical support to help contain the blaze.