WATCH: Large fire threatens houses on Mount Yavne'el near Tiberias

A wildfire on Mount Yavne'el threatened houses in the nearby town of Yavne'el, near Tiberias in northern Israel on Monday evening, according to Israel Fire and Rescue Services.

Firefighters from the Tiberias regional station began to battle the fire, but couldn't gain control over the flames. Eventually, 26 firefighting teams were on the scene to assist them, including six planes from the aerial firefighting unit.

The fire moved towards the town of Yavne'el, threatening the populated areas and houses there. 

During the efforts to put out the fire, local residents worked together with the firefighters, local police forces and the Nature and Parks Authority in order to prevent the fire from spreading to the residential areas of the settlement.

Near the scene of the fire, a joint meeting was convened by the Tiberias fire station headquarters, in which the Nature and Parks Authority, the Yavne'el security officer and representatives of the Israel Police, the Border Police, and Magen David Adom volunteers participated.

Hundreds of fires broke out across Israel in recent days

Keren Kayemet L'Israel (KKL-JNF) forestry teams and Israel's Fire and Rescue Services fought at least 176 separate forest fires across Israel last Saturday, amid a severe heatwave felt throughout the country earlier in the week.

In the north of the country alone, 53 fires had to be put out on Saturday. The coastal area saw 32 fires, the greater Jerusalem area 28, the south 24, the central region 22, while the West Bank suffered 14 blazes throughout the day.

In preparation for wildfire season and its growing risk associated with climate change, Israel's Fire and Rescue Services and several emergency rescue services carried out extensive fire-preparedness exercises late last month in the Jerusalem mountain area of Mateh Yehuda.

Jerusalem District Commander Doron Turgeman emphasized the importance of such comprehensive exercises in light of the upcoming summer months.