As Israel grappled with one of the largest wildfires ever in the country this week and the blaze barrelled towards Jerusalem, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a national emergency.

Wind-fueled fires in Israel are tearing through brush outside Jerusalem, prompting the evacuation of residents and leaving more than a dozen people hospitalized.

Israel ’s “largest ever” wildfires are rapidly closing in on Jerusalem, prompting Benjamin Netanyahu to declare a national emergency and the foreign minister to call for international assistance.