The Israel Police's Air Division, along with the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority (IFRA), the IDF, and other rescue and emergency services, conducted a drill to simulate operations in the event of a massive fire in Beit Meir, located in the Jerusalem Hills region, on Tuesday, police confirmed.

During the drill, service personnel practiced extinguishing large fires, evacuating residents, and rescuing both citizens and emergency service personnel caught by fires, by using helicopters, firefighting aircraft, and ground personnel, the statement added.

Assistant-Chief David Pilo, head of Israel Police's Operations Division, and IFRA Commissioner Eyal Caspi monitored the drill, assessing the level of coordination and cooperation among the rescue services and the operational readiness to work in the field.

The drill was part of the 2025 annual training program and aimed to strengthen preparedness and quick response for the increased risk of fires and other complex emergency scenarios over the Israeli summer, allowing rescue services to "ensure a rapid, professional, and life-saving response when needed," the statement concluded.

Footage and interviews from Israel Police and Fire and Rescue Authority's firefighting drill in Beit Meir, Jerusalem Hills region, June 10, 2025. (credit: ISRAEL POLICE)

Fires sweep across the region

Fires have swept across the region over recent days and weeks, including in Ein Kerem's Karmit Forest on Sunday. Earlier in June, a fire in a Modi'in apartment claimed the lives of a mother and her son.

Additionally, a large fire swept across the Jerusalem Hills region on April 30, burning over 20,000 dunams of land, including 13,000 dunams of forest land.