The General Directorate of Civil Defense in the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities announced in a statement that "its personnel managed to extinguish the fires that affected vast forested areas in the southern border towns with Palestine, due to Israeli shelling." The statement added, "Civil Defense personnel from all regional and voluntary centers in the South and Nabatieh governorates, with the support of centers brought in by the Director General of Civil Defense, Brigadier Raymond Khattar, in compliance with the directives of Minister of Interior and Municipalities in the caretaker government, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, from Sidon, Sarafand, Damour, Shhim, Bashoura, Ghbeiry, and Jbeil, in cooperation with operationally deployed army units, managed to extinguish the fires that affected vast forested areas in the southern border towns with occupied Palestine, namely the forests of Aita el-Shaab, Hdit, Khallat Warda, and Tallat al-Rahi, where phosphorus bombs and illuminating bombs fell."
It mentioned that "the personnel faced several dangers to control the fires due to the continuous falling of shells and the presence of cluster bombs and mines in that geographical area." The statement continued, "Simultaneously, the personnel worked to extinguish the fires that reached the olive groves and vineyards in the towns of Dabel, Rameesh, and Ain Ebel. They also spread out to the towns of Khiam, Rashaya al-Fakhar, Alam el-Shaab, Dhahira, Labouna, and Ras al-Naqoura to extinguish the fires that broke out in their forests."
It clarified that "the fires in the town of Alam el-Shaab nearly reached homes; however, the combined efforts of the Civil Defense personnel, the army, international peacekeeping forces, and the Islamic Health Authority prevented that. The fires were controlled, limiting the damage to severe losses in the diverse forest wealth." It added, "During the firefighting operation in the Labouna forests, one member of the organic center in Tyre sustained minor injuries due to the explosion of a landmine and was subsequently taken to the hospital, from where they have just been discharged to return to the center."
