Wildfires rage near Jerusalem, major road closed, communities evacuated

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JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Wildfires raged on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of communities and the closure of a main highway as Israel appealed for international assistance to help fight the blaze.

TV footage showed fires burning along the main Route 1 Jerusalem to Tel Aviv highway and people abandoning cars and running away from the flames as thick smoke billowed over the surrounding hilltops.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Italy and Croatia were expected to send three firefighting planes to help extinguish the flames. Israel has also appealed to Greece, Cyprus and Bulgaria, the Foreign Ministry said.

Israeli media reported that 120 fire and rescue services had mobilised dozens of teams, aircraft and helicopters to try to contain the fires and the military said its search and rescue forces were assisting the operations.

Three communities were evacuated, police said, and at least 13 people were injured. There were no reports of fatalities.

The fire broke out on Israel’s Memorial Day for fallen soldiers and many ceremonies marking the eve of its Independence Day were cancelled, including the main state event due to be held in Jerusalem.

(Reporting by Steven Scheer and Maayan Lubell, editing by Ed Osmond)