Ancient Olive Tree Goes Up in Flames

A centuries-old olive tree burned Friday on the slopes of Mt. Meron near Ein al-Assad.

Israel's northern district saw huge fires on the outskirts of Nof Harim that consumed about 1,000 acres and led to the evacuation of about 5,000 residents. In addition, fires were extinguished in Lapidot, Margaliot, Yuvalim, and Ein al-Assad.

Ein al-Asad (Arabic: "the lion's spring"‎) is a Druze village in northern Israel, located near Maghar in the Galilee. As of 2019 it had a population of 886. In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Ein al-Asad had a population of 48, of whom 47 were Druze and one a Christian. It is not known what happened to the Christian fellow.