Heavy rain sees part of West Bank apartheid wall collapse and Syrian forest fires extinguished

Heavy rainfall has enguled the Levant this week, causing chaos on the roads, flooded government buildings in Lebanon, caused parts of Israel's apartheid wall to collapse, and extinguished forest fires in Syria.

In the occupied territory, where military and settler violence has continued to claim the lives of Palestinians, flooding tore down a portion of the separation wall south of the city of Hebron.

Videos shared online showed a part of the concrete barrier, which Israel has continued to extend to isolate Palestinian communities, over the years, to collapse due to flooding.

The section of the wall that collapsed is close to the village of Al-Burj, while landslides disrupted traffic on main and secondary roads in other parts of the West Bank, while several vehicles were reported damaged, but causing no injuries.

Humanitarian crisis worsens in Gaza

In the Gaza Strip, devastated by more than two years of Israeli bombing, the tents of the displaced have been flooded.

Much of the territory’s 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced with no homes left to return to. The flooding has been made worse in the Strip after its infrastructure was left in ruins by Israeli strikes.

Dozens of makeshift shelters were flooded in Al-Mawasi area west of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, while others were blown away in strong winds.

Rainwater made its way into the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in Khan Younis, according to a video circulating on social media.

It is the second storm to hit Gaza in 10 days, with the previous flooding damaging thousands of worn-out tents, further exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in the enclave.

Aid into Gaza, which includes more tents as well as food and medical supplies, are being held up by Israeli authorities, in violation of the US-brokered ceasefire deal last month.

Vehicles stranded, road cuts off in Israel

Heavy downpour continued in Israel overnight and into Tuesday accompanied by hail, thunderstorms and strong winds, as strong torrents cut off major roads. 

Meteorologists expected the intense weather conditions to last until Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, a fire ignited after lightening hit a tree, while two people trapped in a car near Highway 70 close to the northern town of Tamra were rescued.

Passengers in a truck that was swept away by rising water levels from the Yatir stream in the southern Negev region were also saved, as were two other vehicles in Beersheba.

In Elkana, in the occupied West Bank, ten people were rescued from their homes after water levels rose up to one meter.

Relief for Syria fires

Damascus also witnessed heavy rainfall, expected to intensify in the coming hours, the Syrian General Directorate of Meteorology said.

Southern regions are also forecast to experience heavy rain, while precipitation across other provinces will be of varying intensity, with an increase expected again in the evening.

In the northwest coastal region, particularly in Latakia governorate, rain helped extinguish fires that broke overnight in Ras al-Bassit, north of Latakia City.

Syrian Civil Defence personnel and firefighting teams reportedly worked for more than seven hours under challenging conditions, due to strong winds, in an effort to bring the blaze under control.

The coastal region, containing most of the predominantly-desert nation’s forests, has witnessed large, recurring fires over the years.

Lebanon roads submerged

Residents also woke up to flooded roads in the Greater Beirut area, with cars stranded and rainwater entering a ministry building.

Rising water levels forced the closure of an airport road tunnel, with torrents spilling onto the Khaldeh Highway heading south.

A viral video showed rainwater gushing into the Labour Ministry building in Ghobeiry, south of Beirut, flooding its entrance and temporarily trapping people inside.

For weeks, the Public Works and Transport Ministry warned drivers and pedestrians against littering and clogging up wastewater systems, and that the country’s ageing infrastructure could not withstand heavy rainfall, particularly in congested areas.

Minister Fayez Rasamni said Tuesday that workers had already resolved most road-related issues, and were working to reopen the airport-Khaldeh tunnel flood.

Water-deprived Jordan

The region has witnessed unprecedented droughts, with prayers for rain at mosques and farmers eager for an end to the drought.

Lebanon - rich in underground water but struggling from an historic financial crisis - saw unusually low precipitations since winter, while rivers and lakes have dried up in Syria.

In one of the world’s most water-stressed countries, Jordan, authorities said three people trapped by flash floods in a southern area rescued.

“Civil defence teams responded today to a report of three people trapped by floodwaters in Tafilah Governorate, successfully assisting and evacuating them without any notable injuries,” said interior ministry spokesperson Amer Al-Sartawi, urging the public to avoid low-lying areas and valleys, where flash floods can hit.

A tourist mother and her son died after being swept away by floods in Petra earlier this year.