Fires ignited by Hezbollah attacks in northern
Israel mostly contained, officials say
June 4 (UPI) -- Firefighters had blazes ignited by Hezbollah rocket fire in northern Israel mostly under control Tuesday morning, officials said.
More than a dozen wildfires were sparked Monday in northern Israel and Galilee by attacks from the Iran-backed militia amid extreme weather conditions, forcing the firefighters to work overnight, during which the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority posted pictures, videos and updates of the situation online.
Officials said a fire in the Amiad region had burned nearly 990 acres but was under their control Tuesday morning after 18 firefighting teams battled it for more than nine hours overnight.
"The teams worked throughout the night with high intensity and determination," Boris Eisenberg, Tiberias station commander and event commander, said in a statement.
In Kfar Giladi, firefighters stopped a blaze from spreading to houses in the city, while other responders were still working to contain an open area fire in Batzet and another in Keren Naftali.
The Israel Defense Forces on Telegram said it was aiding the fire authority in the effort, resulting in six reservist soldiers being "lightly injured" from smoke inhalation, and were transferred to a hospital for treatment.
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority said that some 300 acres had burned in Upper Galilee and nearly 3,000 had burned in Golan Heights due to blazes ignited by recent attacks.
Hezbollah has been attacking Israel since the Middle Eastern country's war began with Hamas, another Iran proxy militia, on Oct. 7, initially sparking fears that the war would spread -- fears that seem to be reigniting.
The Times of Israel reports that 10 Israelis and 14 IDF soldiers have been killed in the cross-border fighting, which has also claimed the lives of 328 militants mostly in Lebanon but also Syria.
IDF confirms deaths of 4 men taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7
June 3 (UPI) -- The Israeli military on Monday confirmed the deaths of four men taken hostage by the terrorist organization Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Amiram Cooper, age 84, Haim Perry and Yoram Metzger, both 80, and Nadav Popplewell, age 51 and from Nirim close to the Gaza Strip, were abducted in the Oct. 7 attack by Iran's proxy militia Hamas "and killed a few months ago while they were held hostage by Hamas in Gaza," the Israeli Defense Forces said on X Monday afternoon local time.
Cooper's wife, Nurit, age 79, was held captive for 17 days by Hamas before her October 23 release. Amiram Cooper is survived by his wife, three children and nine grandchildren.
Popplewell's brother Roee was killed on October 7, and their mother, Hannah Perry, was released on November 24.
Metzger is survived by his wife, three children and seven grandchildren.
"Our hearts go out to their families," the IDF posted on social media.
Their bodies are still being held in captivity by Hamas and families have been notified, the IDF said. But the actual causes of death are still unknown.
An IDF spokesperson said the four hostages were killed during a period when Israeli Defense Forces were carrying out military operations in the area.
Hama kidnapped about 240 hostages on Oct. 7 and killed about 1,200 individuals, but it is unclear how many of the roughly 130 remaining hostages remain alive.
Perry, Metzger and Cooper had appeared in a video released in December by Hamas.
"May their memory be a blessing," Israel's Foreign Ministry said on X around the same time.
The Hostages & Missing Families Forum on Monday afternoon said this "painful news should shake every citizen in the State of Israel and lead every leader to profound soul-searching" as they made a demand for Israel to "approve the Netanyahu deal immediately!"
The Israeli government, they posted on X, "must send out a negotiating delegation this evening and return all 124 hostages, both living and murdered, to their homes. It is time to end this cycle of sacrifice and neglect."
"Their murder in captivity is a mark of disgrace and a sad reflection on the significance of delaying previous deals," the Forum wrote.
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