MOSCOW (Sputnik) – One of those arrested is a 24-year-old Bedouin from southern Israel, who allegedly incited people to start wildfires on his Facebook page, according to the Times of Israel newspaper.
Further details about the arrested remain unknown but Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, leader of the right-wing The Jewish Home party wrote on his Twitter page that the arson could be committed only by those, to whom the country does not belong, thus hinting at Palestinians’ involvement in the alleged crimes.
Israel is facing the worst wildfires since 2010 with the largest fires recorded near Jerusalem, Haifa, Hadera and Zichron Yaakov. In Haifa the fire destroyed about 600 homes and resulted in evacuation of about 75,000 people.
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested help in fighting the wildfires from a number of international leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. During a phone conversation, Putin pledged to send special aircraft and the required equipment to the area.
