Argentina's opposition accuses Israeli tourists of sparking Patagonia wildfires

Several figures from Argentina's opposition, including the country's former army chief Cesar Milani, have shared claims circulating on social media accusing Israeli tourists of deliberately starting a series of fires sweeping across Patagonia in southern Argentina, near the border with Chile.

In a post shared on X on Sunday, Milani accused "a foreign state" of intentionally igniting the fires, which began last Monday and have burned more than 3,500 hectares of land.

While he did not name Israel directly, the post included an image of far-right President Javier Milei waving an Israeli flag in front of a large crowd of supporters.

Luis D'Elia, a former government official who resigned in 2006 at the request of former president Nestor Kirchner over alleged ties to Iran, also shared a video of a local resident claiming he tried to stop several Israeli nationals whom he said he witnessed setting fires in the vast forested area.

The New Arab cannot independently verify these allegations.

Argentina's fact-checking platform Chequeado has, however, debunked claims that one of the fires in the Lago Epuyen area was caused by an Israeli-made M26 grenade, stating instead that the device was produced by an Argentine state-owned arms manufacturer.

The allegations followed a wave of testimonies aired by local Argentine media, featuring residents fleeing their homes near Chubut province. More than 3,000 people were evacuated as fires spread through the region, with several residents accusing Israeli tourists of lighting fires.

A video broadcast by Argentina's A24 channel went viral over the weekend after it showed an interview with a woman displaced by the fires, who accused the government of "selling Patagonia to all the Israelis".

The interview pointed to efforts by the Milei administration to repeal a forestry law that restricts foreign land purchases, a move that has sparked a legal and political debate over sovereignty and control of Argentina's rural land.

Proposed changes would also lift restrictions on the sale of land immediately after it has been affected by fires, safeguards originally introduced to deter speculation and arson.

The accusations have prompted many social media users to draw parallels between the destruction caused by the fires in southern Argentina and the devastation inflicted by Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. Milei has dismissed the claims as "antisemitic".