Incendiary balloons launched from the Gaza Strip sparked four minor fires near the border region, Fire and Rescue Services said on Thursday, in the latest spate of attacks since a fragile ceasefire came into effect following last month's 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups.
Firefighters quickly brought under control a blaze, which they described "as small and not dangerous", that raged in the Eshkol Regional Council near the Gaza border.
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Archive: Firefighters trying to put out a fire caused by incendiary balloons in the Gaza border region in May
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
"A fire investigator... determined that all fires were caused by incendiary balloons [from Gaza]", a statement said.
Eleven days of deadly fighting between Israel and Gaza's Hamas Islamist rulers, as well as other Palestinian terror groups based in the enclave, ended on May 21 with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.
There was no immediate indication as to which Gaza-based group was responsible for the balloon launches.
There have been multiple flare-ups since the ceasefire, including a series of balloon launches last month, to which Israel has responded with airstrikes.
Following an exchange of fire on June 18, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi ordered forces to be ready "for a variety of scenarios, including a resumption of hostilities."
Authorities also suspected that several fires that broke out near the Tomb of Samuel — the traditional burial site of a biblical prophet —in the West Bank were a result of arson.
Police instructed parishioners at the site north of Jerusalem to evacuate for their own safety as firefighters attempted to put out the flames, combating strong winds and trying to stir them away from the nearby Palestinian villages.