"The prime minister described the arson as terrorism ... it’s a miracle that people weren’t burned alive, but we don’t rely on miracles. It’s certainly permitted and required to violate Shabbat to stop the fire and the arsonists. And if necessary, also to shoot them," the rabbi said on Facebook.
Eliyahu believes that if the permission had been introduced earlier, the cities of Beit Me'ir, Carmiel and Haifa "would have been spared from this disaster".
"I hope that the chief of staff and the police commissioner will give clear instructions to soldiers and police officers and citizens drawn from the fact that the fires have not finishes, and it is their responsibility," he added, according to Ynetnews.
As firefighters keep on struggling to bring the wildfires under control, Israeli police have arrested 13 suspected arsonists so far, Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan told reporters.
"The highest likelihood is that the motive is nationalistic," Erdan told Army Radio. He said there were "minorities" among the suspects, apparently referring to Arab Israeli citizens or Palestinians. At least four of those arrested, according to AP, were Palestinians.
Meanwhile, a number of reports emerged in the media saying that young Arabs had been seen celebrating and thanking Allah for punishing Jews. At the same time, Israel Today reports, many of the Arabs living in Israel have been ready to provide shelter for those who had to evacuate from the burning areas.