Wildfires have broken out across the country over the past week. (Credit: Michel Hallak/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT – A Lebanese man suspected of having started wildfires in various areas in the south was arrested, the Internal Security Forces said Friday. Dozens of large-scale fires broke out across Lebanon over the last week, including in Akkar, the Bekaa, Koura, Batroun and Baabda.
Here's what we know:
• The man, a shepherd, appeared in a video circulating on social media in which he was seen lighting a small fire in a dry grassy patch. During an interrogation he allegedly admitted to having lit the fire to ward off insects and parasites from his herd of goats.
• Environment Minister Nasser Yassin on Monday said that the fires were likely man-made. According to studies from the US and Europe, the majority of all wildfires are caused by human activity.
• Lebanon has witnessed a large number of severe wildfires in recent months. However, the country’s capacity to fight such blazes is hampered by inadequate equipment and funds, further exacerbated by the ongoing economic meltdown.