Wildfires Break Out in Eastern Algeria

Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (Civil Defense)
Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (Civil Defense)
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Wildfires Break Out in Eastern Algeria

Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (Civil Defense)
Civil Defense teams try to put out fires in Jijel last summer. (Civil Defense)

Several wildfires have broken out in Algeria's northeastern Bejaia and Tizi-Ouzou provinces.

While the fires in Tizi Ouzou were extinguished, the operations are ongoing to control the fire in Bejaia, according to a statement from the Civil Protection on Saturday.

The Civil Protection in Bejaia said a fire had broken out in one of the forests in the Ish El-Baz area in Boulimat.

Teams from Bouira, Setif, and Bordj Bou Arreridj were dispatched to the area. No losses in life were recorded. Populated areas were also evacuated.

Moreover, a fire broke out in Mahwi Forest Tichy in the Ish El-Baz forest in Bejaia, and in the forest of the Igdassen village in Tizi Ouzou.

Civil Protection units and helicopters were dispatched to extinguish the fire.

In July, wildfires in the country killed at least 34 people and destroyed large swathes of forests and trees.

Northern and eastern Algeria witness forest fires annually, a phenomenon that worsens year after year due to the impact of climate changes.

The Meteorological Service warned in a special bulletin of a heat wave in the country's northeastern regions, including Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou, on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures expected to reach 43 degrees.

This year, Algeria recorded 97 blazes across 16 provinces, fanned by strong winds, said the interior ministry.



Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
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Heavy Israeli Strikes Shake Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Flames rise after an Israeli airstrike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Strong explosions in Beirut's southern suburbs began near midnight and continued into Sunday after Israel's military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh.

Photos and video showed the blasts illuminating the southern suburbs, and sparking flashes of red and white visible from several kilometers away. They followed a day of sporadic strikes and the nearly continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.

Israel's military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed

from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

The strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Rafik Hariri International Airport, and another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. Social media reports claimed that one of the strikes hit an oxygen tank storage facility, but this was later denied by the owner of the company Khaled Kaddouha.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said on Saturday that Israel had killed 440 Hezbollah fighters in its ground operations in southern Lebanon and destroyed 2,000 Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah has not released death tolls.

Israel says it stepped up its assault on Hezbollah to enable the safe return of tens of thousands of citizens to homes in northern Israel, bombarded by the group since last Oct. 8.

Israeli authorities said on Saturday that nine Israeli soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon so far.