Kibbutz Malkiah farmers on Sunday reported heavy damage to their kiwifruit plantation following a fire that was started over the weekend north of the Lebanese border and quickly spread to Israeli territory. Members of the kibbutz, which was established in 1949 in the Upper Galilee, suspect that this was deliberate arson by Hezbollah operatives, who have recently been leading a series of provocations along the border. The fire destroyed 7.5 acres of trees that were ready for harvest.
Secretary General of HaBithonistim Lt. Col. Yaron Buskila on Monday told 104.5FM that “the security establishment and the prime minister are aware of the repeated and unusual provocations carried out by Hezbollah on the northern border. This has become a major violation that harms the security infrastructure or the sovereignty of the State of Israel, such as the two tents erected on Israeli territory.”
This arson is a terrorist attack and an invasion of Israeli sovereignty. We pray the IDF acts swiftly on this before an escalation of terror against its citizens causes further harm.